Distance
by betweenraindrops
Summary: Continuation of Time. Life and death, love and betrayal. Being in a relationship as heroes is like swimming upstream holding hands. The current conspires against you, eroding your resolve, and, if you're not strong enough, you'll lose your grip and drown. RobStar & BBRae.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: **__The sequel has begun! A few things you should know right from the get-go: this fic will be MUCH longer, there will be more action/dark elements now that we've gotten past the initial getting-together portion, there will be more BBRae, and there will be some M-worthy moments._

_Other than that, I just wanna say it's great to be back and I hope you guys enjoy this next installment! I'm anticipating their being 4 all-together. It's ambitious, I know, but I promise I won't abandon it. Pinky swear!_

_**Songs: **__"When You Walk In The Room" - Fyfe Dangerfield_

_**(as always, the songs and other info about the fics are on my tumblr, and you can find that link on my profile page)**_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"You really won't tell me what my costume is?"

Starfire laughed, her legs kicking in the air behind her as she lifted up from the bed on her elbows.

"No!" she insisted for at least the tenth time. "You told me I could pick, so I picked."

Dick sighed as he folded a clean uniform into his black suitcase. "I am really regretting that now," he mumbled, and she threw a pillow at him.

He turned toward her, his blue eyes wide, his mouth open in faux offense.

"I am sorry!" she bleated, moving to a sitting position, her hands raised in front of her in anticipation.

"Oh no, it's too late for that now," Dick snapped, grinning wildly as he rushed toward her.

"No, Dick, no!" she squealed as he tackled her back onto the bed.

He grabbed the other pillow from behind her and brandished it over his head with the hand that wasn't restraining her wrists.

"Surrender!" he ordered, shaking the pillow slightly.

"Never!" she countered, struggling beneath him.

"Suit yourself," he answered with a small shrug before the pillow smashed into the side of her head.

She laughed, wriggling wildly beneath him. Breaking free of his grip, she reached up to grab his arm before he could level another blow. Her interference unbalanced him, and he fell forward, catching himself by planting his hands on either side of her head.

They lay there for a moment as the laughter subsided to small giggles and sighs, his face hovering just over hers.

"Hey," he whispered, lowering his face so his nose grazed down hers.

"Greetings," she breathed back, her eyelids drooping as she smiled dreamily.

His lips lowered onto hers, their smiles fading as their mouths moved against one another in soft, sweeping motions.

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she lifted a hand into his hair, her fingers twisting into the product-less strands. She had recently convinced him to forgo the hair gel, much preferring the somewhat bedraggled look it naturally fell into, and he did not mind considering she had insisted it looked much more attractive.

Far too quickly for her liking, their mouths parted, and he rose over her to look back into her eyes.

"I have to pack," he whispered, brushing his lips against her forehead before pushing away and sliding off the bed.

She groaned mournfully, sitting up to watch him return to his closet and pull out several pairs of socks.

"Must you truly return tomorrow morning?" she whined, shuffling to dangle her feet off the edge of the bed. "You only just arrived yesterday."

"You know I have to, Kory," he said, turning to look at her with a pained, apologetic expression.

She pouted, her gaze dropping to the floor.

With a small chuckle, he approached her, placing a hand under her chin. "Look, I know it sucks," he admitted, a thumb stroking down her cheek, "but I have to do it. And, hey, at least I'm here for the Halloween party tonight, right?"

She smiled half-heartedly up at him, nodding slowly. "I suppose so…" she murmured, dropping her gaze to where his torso was level with her face.

He pulled at her chin again, and she craned her neck back as he bent to kiss her.

She placed a hand against his cheek, but he disappeared from beneath it, her fingers falling through the air as he turned away. She watched as he walked back to his closet, rifling through the drawers and packing various shirts and boxers.

Dick had been spending a lot of time in Gotham lately, working on something important with Batman that he insisted he could not tell her about yet. At first it had been a few days here and there, then every other week, and now she only saw him for a couple days at a time with long, unpredictable gaps in-between. They had been together for a little over four months, and she had hardly seen him for the last two. To say it was putting strain on their relationship would be an understatement.

Of course, Dick's time away had given Cyborg a chance to work on some much-needed upgrades within the Tower. He had added a swimming pool onto the roof and, in order to fix the one bathroom conundrum, demolished the wall separating her and Dick's rooms, taking a little space out of each to create a bathroom in-between. There had been some discussion about whether to make it accessible from the hallway, but Cyborg had insisted that putting three doors in would be an "architectural nightmare", and, if it were one of the emergencies, someone could always go through Starfire's room. The project was almost completed, but, for now, a tarp was put up whenever Dick was home to cover the holes through which he could see into her room. Not that it mattered very much, considering, whenever he was home, they spent most of their time together, often falling asleep on one of their beds as they talked into the early hours of the morning.

"Robin?"

They both turned to the voice at the door, exchanging a small, knowing glance. Wordlessly, she reached across to the nightstand, plucking his mask off and tossing it over to him as he made his way toward the door.

He caught it, of course, and quickly adjusted it onto his face, tapping all around the black border the way he always did to ensure the special glue had adhered properly.

"Hey, Raven," he said, greeting the girl as he opened the door. "What's up?"

Starfire leaned to the right so she could see around him and waved enthusiastically at her friend.

"Nothing really, I was actually looking for Star," Raven explained, returning her wave with a small smile.

"What is it you require, Raven?" she asked, levitating off the bed to land in the doorway beside Dick.

"I- Um… I need to talk to you about…my _costume_," she said hesitantly, her eyes flickering nervously to Dick several times throughout the sentence.

Starfire giggled knowingly before stepping out into the hallway. "Certainly, Raven," she affirmed, smiling broadly down at the girl.

"Wait, what about her costume?" Dick pried, but Starfire hushed him.

"Never mind," she hissed, waving her hand at him as she headed down the hallway with Raven.

"What about my costume?" he called after her.

She turned around, giggling at his indignant expression. "I will deliver it to you later," she replied, and his face dropped into a suspicious glare as she rounded the corner with Raven.

"So," she began as they entered the door to Raven's room, "what is the issue involving your costume, Raven?"

"I don't wanna do it anymore," she answered, shaking her head fervently.

"Oh, Raven!" Starfire implored, grabbing her friend's hands. "It is a most wondrous idea! Do not become the poultry _now_!"

"But what if nobody gets it?" Raven rambled, her eyes wide and panicked. "What if everybody thinks it's stuipid? What if _he _thinks it's stupid. Oh, Azar, he's gonna think it's stupid, isn't he?"

"Raven," she said gently, bending down to look into the girl's eyes, "calm down. It is not stupid; it is most inventive and humorous."

Raven's breathing slowed as she looked up at her pleadingly. "You really think so?" she asked, and Starfire nodded in affirmation.

"I am most certain your costume will be very well received," she added, smiling broadly.

"Well…okay, I guess you're right," Raven conceded hesitantly, smiling softly up at her. "What about you?" she added, and Starfire's eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

"What about my what?"

"What about the costumes you have planned for you and Robin," Raven clarified, her fear now replaced by a smirk. "Do you think those will be _well received_?"

Starfire giggled from behind her hand. "I do not know, but it will be most amusing to find out," she said, and the two girls laughed at their shared secret.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Dick_**

He stared at the box on his bed warily, his fingers twitching. He could fight giant, oozing monsters without batting an eye, but he couldn't open that box.

Starfire had dropped it off a few minutes ago for him to get dressed for the party, scampering away with a small giggle and a wink, and he had been staring at it ever since.

Who would have thought that something so small, so innocuous, could strike so much fear into the Boy Wonder?

With a steeling breath he stepped forward, flipping open the cardboard flaps in a burst of determination. He wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting, but he found himself relieved when all he saw was a white shirt and a note. At least it wasn't the back half of a horse costume or something like that.

He lifted the shirt out of the box, holding it up by the shoulders in front of him. It took him a moment to realize it was one of his own shirts, and he glanced over to the closet, wondering when she had gotten in there. It was a simple, collared white shirt, the long sleeves rolled up to what he imagined would be about his elbows, and he placed it down on the bed as he lifted out the note.

_In an effort to make this as painless an experience as possible, you may wear your usual, uniform pants. You will, however, need to add your sword._

He turned the paper over in his hand, but found no further instructions. That was it? This shirt, his regular pants, and his sword? That wasn't so bad, but what on Earth was the sword for?

Shrugging, he laid the note down on the bed and went to his closet, pulling the retractable sword from his drawer. With the click of a button it unfurled, the sharp point glistening in the light. He spun it in his hand, smiling absent-mindedly. He really did love his sword. Bruce had insisted it was completely impractical, but he had used it a couple times, and it also just made him feel awesome.

Removing the holster from the drawer, he slid the sword inside and hooked the strap into his belt on his right side. He then walked back to the bed, taking his cape and shirt off as he went. Tossing the discarded garments on the bed, he picked up the white shirt and pulled it on over his undershirt, buttoning it up before tucking it into his pants. Heading into the bathroom, hoping Starfire wasn't going to come in the other door, he surveyed himself in the mirror, assuring everything was tucked in and attached properly.

He was rather surprised to realize he not only didn't hate it, but actually thought he looked rather…dashing, if he could think that about himself. As he examined himself, he realized there was something almost familiar about the image staring back at him-the dark hair, blue eyes, white shirt, and sword-but he couldn't quite place it. He looked like some kind of swashbuckling hero. Was he a pirate, perhaps? But then what would she be to go with him?

Before his brain got too carried away with speculation, he went over to the bathroom door leading to Starfire's room and rapped lightly on the wood. The electronics of putting in the automatic, metal doors that the Tower had everywhere else would apparently have been ridiculously complicated, so Cyborg had opted to put regular, wooden doors in this bathroom, trusting that Robin and Starfire could manage to manually lock doors and knock.

"Star?" he called, inclining his head toward the door as he listened.

"Come in," she answered.

He placed his hand on the handle, but hesitated as he remembered he wasn't wearing his mask.

"I am alone," Starfire added, reading his mind, and he opened the door, peering anxiously into the room as he searched for her, his heartbeat increasing in anticipation of her costume.

As much as he had thought about what it could be, he was not prepared.

She had her back to him, struggling with what appeared to be a bra clasp, but the rest of the outfit was actually so flamboyant, it managed to draw his attention away from that.

Her torso was bare down to her waist, where a bright, green skirt started. The fabric was shiny and tight to just above her knees, and then it exploded into thin, twisting, sparkling strips of some see-through fabric in numerous different shades of green.

"Can you help me with this?" she asked, turning to face him, and it suddenly became incredibly obvious.

Her hair was pinned to the side with a glittering, yellow starfish; the red strands twisting down in front of her left shoulder. She had indeed been fiddling with a bra clasp, but it turned out to be a bright purple bra, the front of which was shaped like seashells.

"Dick?"

"Huh?" he choked, blinking moisture back into his eyes as he realized he'd been staring. "Oh, right, sorry," he muttered, and she smiled softly at him before turning around.

His fingers trembled against her skin as he suddenly lost his dexterity, the two sides of the bra slipping through his grip a few times before he managed to grab hold. He examined the various hooks and loops, his eyes flicking between the two sides nervously.

"Um, how do you-"

"Just put the hooks on the right through the tightest loops on the left," she answered, the smile obvious in her tone.

He quickly obeyed, and she turned back around, adjusting the seashells. He averted his eyes, feeling his throat closing up as a heat rushed up his face.

"I must admit," Starfire chuckled, "I am rather happy that you do not know how these work." She gestured to her bra, laughing outright now.

"Shut up," he muttered, rolling his eyes, but grabbing her hand and pulling her close all the same. "You look…incredible," he whispered, breathing in her usual, floral scent.

She smiled, blushing as she dropped her gaze for a moment. "Do you understand?" she asked, her sparkling, earnest eyes lifting back to his.

"Pippi Longstocking, right?" he teased, raising an eyebrow.

She didn't seem to understand his jest, however, and her face plummeted.

"I'm kidding!" he blurted hurriedly, chuckling as he lifted her pouting face up with a few fingers under her chin. "You're the girl from 'The Little Mermaid'," he said softly.

"Ariel," she corrected sternly, but she was still beaming. "And you are Prince Eric," she informed him, plucking at the collar of his shirt. She sighed mournfully, a wistful look in her eye as she grazed a hand through his hair and down the side of his face.

"What?" he asked, concerned with her sudden drop in mood.

"Nothing," she sighed. "It would simply be so much better if you did not have to wear your mask."

He swallowed hard, grabbing her hand off his cheek and pulling it down to his chest.

"Kory-" he started faintly, but she cut him off.

"I know, Dick," she assured, smiling half-heartedly.

"I'll tell them, I will," he insisted, taking her hand in both of his. "I'm just-"

"Not ready," she finished, her tone soft and understanding. She was still smiling, but there was a distance in her eyes.

This was really the only argument they had had so far, and it had yet to be properly resolved. He knew it bothered Kory that none of the other Titans knew his secret, but it wasn't, like she thought, because he didn't trust them. It was just hard to let go of a secret that literally his entire life revolved around. She was too open and honest to understand that.

"So, what do you think?" she interjected, jarring him from his dreary thoughts.

"Huh?" he murmured, confused by her sudden, glowing smile.

"About the costumes," she clarified exasperatedly.

"Oh," he chuckled, stretching away from her, his hands finding hers as he stretched her arms out to her sides. "I think you need to wear more clothes," he said, scanning her nearly-bare upper body.

She giggled, twisting her hands so their fingers intertwined.

"Sweater?" he attempted.

She shook her head, smiling mischievously.

"Parka?" he offered, and she laughed, releasing his hands and walking past him into the bathroom.

"Full-body snowsuit!" he exclaimed, following behind her.

She rolled her eyes at him before turning back to the mirror, adjusting the starfish in her hair.

"It's perfect," he said, standing on his toes behind her as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and she laid her hands on them as she smiled at him in the mirror. "You're perfect," he whispered into her ear, smirking as he felt her shiver.

She twisted in his arms, tugging at his collar as she pulled him into a kiss.

He chuckled against her mouth as he returned it. It was mind-boggling to him that Starfire wanted to kiss him, that she wanted to be with him, that she missed him. And, although he wasn't any good at telling her, he hated leaving her for Gotham. Bruce's scowling face was not nearly as attractive.

"I do not believe I will let you go tomorrow," she murmured against his lips as they paused.

"Bruce won't like that," he answered with a coy smile.

"We will just have to fight over you, then," she said with a small smile.

"I think you could take him," Dick whispered back, and she grinned at him before leaning in to capture his lips again.

She took a small step back to lean against the bathroom counter, her hands grabbing at his shirt to pull him closer, and he lifted a hand to her neck as the kiss intensified.

Small, muffled clicking noises echoed around the bathroom as their mouths pushed and pulled, and he went to tangle his hand in her hair before remembering how carefully she'd arranged it. Refraining from that, he tightened his grip around her waist, holding her fast to him.

Just then, a knock came to his door, and they pulled breathlessly apart.

"Yo, Robin!" Cyborg's voice rang out as he pounded louder. "Come on! People are gonna be gettin' here soon, and we need time to make fun of your costume first!"

Starfire clasped a hand to her mouth to muffle her giggling, and Dick shook his head, chuckling. Their eyes met for one, shy second before he smiled softly at her and pushed away, leaving her to turn around and fix whatever elements of her costume they had just messed up.

While she was doing that, he went into his room, taking a moment to think the most calming, disgusting thoughts he could muster in order to restore normal blood flow. He grabbed his mask off the nightstand, pressing it to his face as he heard Starfire come out of the bathroom behind him.

"You ready?" he asked, and she nodded, smoothing the front of her skirt with a nervous smile.

He walked over to the door, taking a deep breath to brace himself for the mocking before placing his hand against the panel.

Cyborg stood there for a moment, staring at him, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He then burst into laughter, and Dick folded his arms and glared at him.

"What are you supposed to be? A gay pirate?" Cyborg wheezed, pointing now to go along with his laughing.

"Hey!" Starfire snapped, and Dick closed his mouth as he realized she was gonna take care of it.

"He does not look like a homosexual marauder!" she insisted, and Dick wasn't sure if she was helping or hurting the situation at this point. "He is my prince," she finished, hooking her arm through his as she smiled, and he could not help but return it, even if he was a little embarrassed by the title.

"Star," Cyborg breathed, his expression shocked, "you look…you look… Wow…" he sighed, smiling dreamily.

"Thank you, Cyborg," she giggled, grinning broadly at him. "I believe I will go see if Raven needs any assistance with her costume," she added, placing a small kiss on Dick's cheek as she pulled her arm out from his, passing Cyborg as she went down the hallway.

Cyborg turned to look after her as she walked, and Dick went to stand next to him, leaning against the side of the doorway.

"_So,_" he strained, smirking up at his friend, "guess I get a pass on the gay pirate thing, huh?"

"Shut up," Cyborg hissed, giving him a small punch on the shoulder, and he laughed.

"Speaking of costumes," Robin Dick, scanning the half-robot in front of him, "I can't believe you're doing 'The Terminator' again."

This would be Cyborg's third year going as the terminator, and Dick kind of considered it cheating. He didn't even really change anything; just stuck some extra, metal panels on, wrapped his exposed skin in tinfoil, and set his eye to constantly glow red.

"Hey, we can't all be Disney princes," Cyborg taunted, shrugging as he smirked down at him.

Dick glared at his friend's laughing back as he followed, the living room door sliding open to admit them.

"Hey, guys!" Beast Boy exclaimed, rushing up to them, streamers in hand. "Whatdya think? Raven helped me," he added, gesturing grandly to the room beyond them.

The shutters were down, leaving the room dark with various colored lights flashing randomly around. Orange and black streamers hung everywhere, along with dangling black bats and skulls spinning in the air on the end of their twine. Across the kitchen counter were several bowls and plates of snacks, as well as a separate table set up at the end to house all of the beverage paraphernalia.

"We already called to order the pizzas," Beast Boy added. "They should be here in about an hour. We figured that'd give people enough time to arrive."

"You're sure saying a lot of 'we' there, BB," Cyborg teased.

"Well, I told you Raven helped me," Beast Boy grumbled, turning away from them as his face reddened.

"Looks great, Beast Boy," Dick praised, and the boy beamed at him.

"Alright, well I better go get changed," Beast Boy said eagerly, rushing past them toward the hallway.

"Woah, sorry, St- WOW!"

Dick turned to see Beast Boy stopped dead in the doorway as Starfire walked through it, her eyes wide with alarm.

"You look- You- Wow!" he stammered, his mouth gaping as he scanned her.

"That seems to be the only reaction I can receive," Starfire giggled.

"You look great," Beast Boy added sincerely, and Starfire smiled warmly at him. "Be right back!" he called over his shoulder as he passed through the door, giving them a small wave as he rushed down the hall.

"It is quite the spooky in here, yes?" Starfire commented as she approached them, her eyes traversing the room.

"Yea," Cyborg answered, looking up at the bat that was spinning slowly in the air over his head, "and I heard BB scheming with Raven about adding a few surprises during the movie marathon too."

"Surprises?" Starfire repeated warily, her hand finding his as she reached his side.

"Yea, like ghosts dropping out of the ceiling or something like that," Cyborg continued, and Dick watched Starfire's eyes widen with fear.

"Ghosts?" she murmured, her grip tightening around his fingers.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, and she looked at him, unconvinced. "Knowing Beast Boy, it will be more stupid than scary," he added, smiling reassuringly.

She smiled back at him, albeit hesitantly, and released his hand to turn around and look down the snack table.

"What is this?" she questioned, pointing at something on the vegetable tray.

"Oh, no!" Cyborg bellowed, pushing Starfire aside to glare down at the food. "That little twerp is _not_ trying to sneak tofu into this party!"

"Ta-da!"

The group turned to see Beast Boy, his timing impeccable, standing just inside the doorway. He was wearing a light brown, full-body suit, complete with a hood framed with some long, hairy mess.

There was a moment of complete silence before the group burst into simultaneous laughter, Starfire grabbing onto Dick's arm as she struggled to stay upright.

"Oh, come on!" Beast Boy snapped, glaring down at them. "You guys already knew I was gonna be a lion. It can't be that funny."

"I just- I couldn't really picture it until now," Cyborg wheezed.

"It's so much worse than I imagined," Dick added, and the group collapsed into laughter again.

"Ha ha," Beast Boy said flatly, scowling as he approached them. "You guys aren't exactly stunners. What are you, anyway? A gay pirate?"

Dick opened his mouth to retort, but the words froze in his mouth as the door opened to reveal-

"Oh…my…god," Cyborg breathed, his jaw dropping.

"What?" Beast Boy questioned. "What are you-" He too cut off as he gaped, and Dick was forcibly reminded of a heart-eyed, tongue-lolling cartoon.

Raven walked down the stairs, her black pants and boots making her bottom half nearly disappear. Her sequined jacket, however, was bright red, with long coattails flowing out the back, and a tall, white top hat was perched on her head. As she got closer, Dick could see something swinging in the air beside her, and he realized she was holding a long, black whip.

"Raven, you- you-" Cyborg stumbled weakly as she reached the group.

"You look glorious!" Starfire interjected, her feet tucking behind her as she levitated off the ground, her hands clasped adoringly beneath her chin.

"What she said," Dick muttered, smiling across at the girl.

"Thanks," Raven chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear shyly.

"Raven, you…" Beast Boy breathed, blinking rapidly. "You look…incredible."

Raven dropped her eyes to the floor, her blush obvious even in the dark, and Dick felt Starfire's head against his shoulder. He had told her time and time again that she shouldn't get her hopes up about Beast Boy and Raven, but she was already too invested to listen.

"Um, thanks," Raven mumbled, plucking at the sequins on the front of her jacket.

"So what are you?" Cyborg asked, and the tension in the room lessened slightly.

Raven chuckled as she lifted her head. "A lion tamer," she said coyly, lifting her whip up beside her face.

A strange, choked whimper escaped Beast Boy, but the rest of the group laughed.

"It's a tough job," Raven sighed jokingly, "but someone's gotta do it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Beast Boy pressed, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Nothing," Raven shrugged. "Just that somebody's gotta keep you in line," she said as she elbowed Beast Boy lightly in the arm, and he smiled back at her.

Starfire sighed softly into his ear, and Dick rolled his eyes behind his mask. This might be like a live chick-flick for her, but it just made him uncomfortable.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang at that moment, and Dick was grateful for an excuse to bound across the room to the console. Hitting a few buttons, he brought up the main door camera to find the smiling face of-

"Helloooooo!?" Kid Flash sang, his eyes huge as he held his face inches from the camera.

Without responding, Dick hit the button to buzz him in, and the stairwell door banged open just as he was returning to Starfire's side.

"Hey, guys!" Kid Flash exclaimed as he joined the group, standing between Dick and Beast Boy, his arms slung around both of their shoulders. "First one here?"

"What is that?" Dick hissed, pointing down at Kid Flash's costume

He had on his usual mask, but, other than that, Kid Flash was wearing Robin's uniform. It looked like one of his real uniforms too, and Dick was opening his mouth to ask when the hell he broke in to steal it when Starfire cut in.

"Oh, how charming!" she exclaimed, grinning wildly. "He is you!"

"Oh no, my dear Ariel," Kid Flash corrected, suddenly appearing between her and Dick. "I pull this off way better than him."

Dick grabbed him by the cape and tugged, sending him stumbling backward, but Kid Flash merely laughed.

"Flash!" a female voice rang through the room, and Dick saw Jinx heading toward them across the room. "How many times do I have to tell you-"

"Don't take off without you," Kid Flash droned, sulking over to her.

"Honestly!" Jinx snapped, revealing the faux fangs in her mouth. "It's not that hard."

"Sorry, babe," he apologized, lifting her hand to his mouth for a small kiss, and her expression instantly softened.

"Aqualad's right behind us," Jinx addressed the group. "We passed him on the way in."

"Guess we might as well just disable the lock," Cyborg ventured, and Dick nodded his approval.

"What's Aqualad's costume?" Beast Boy asked, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.

"I don't really know," Kid Flash said, shrugging. "Only saw him for a nanosecond."

"Hey!" Aqualad greeted as he entered, dressed as a cowboy. He even had the vest, as well as the expected holsters, boots, and hat.

Starfire giggled beside him, and Dick twisted toward her, causing her to quickly clap a hand to her mouth.

"Did I mention how attractive you look in this shirt?" she said playfully, latching onto his arm as she smiled glowingly up at him.

His glare slowly faded as he gazed into her wide, innocent eyes, and he shook his head down at her.

She giggled, nuzzling into his shoulder for a moment before floating away to greet Bumblebee, who had just walked in dressed as a glittering, yellow fairy.

He caught up with her just as the rest of the Titans East walked in. Más y Menos were wearing outfits that, when they stood beside one another, resembled a yin-yang symbol, and Speedy was dressed as, somewhat predictably, Robin Hood.

Even though Dick could not see Speedy's eyes behind his mask, he could tell when their eyes met. A lightning bolt of tension sparked between them, and Dick felt his chest tighten with the pressure.

He had not seen Speedy since what had happened with Starfire (which he still insisted was a date, much to Starfire's frustration), and he was suddenly not sure how to handle it. Surprisingly, for his part, Dick found himself not mad at Speedy, but he supposed that was one of the perks of ultimately getting the girl. Speedy, however, might be less amicable.

"Hey," Speedy muttered, raising a hand meekly.

"Hey," Dick said shortly back, nodding slightly.

"Please, go enjoy the bountiful snacks," Starfire urged beside him, and he saw her shooing a doe-eyed Más y Menos toward the kitchen.

To her credit, Starfire did not embrace Speedy as she normally would have, instead standing beside Dick as she beamed across at him.

"Speedy," she greeted, nodding politely. "It is glorious to see you. I trust you have been well?"

"Um, yeah," Speedy answered, looking slightly confused by Starfire's language. "You?"

"I have been most wondrous, thank you," she replied, and Speedy smiled across at her.

Dick glanced at her pointedly out of the corner of his eye, and she somehow knew, just like always, even though she couldn't see.

"We will speak later," she assured, walking away behind him and subtly grazing his back in a way he understood as a warning.

The two boys stared at one another for a moment, the silence growing more and more uncomfortable.

"Look-" Dick started, but stopped when he realized Speedy had said the same thing.

They both chuckled at their unison, and the tension in the air instantly lightened.

"Robin, I- I just wanna say, I-" Speedy stammered, scratching the back of his neck.

"I get it," he interrupted with a half-smile.

"So…we're cool?" Speedy ventured hesitantly.

"Yea," Dick answered, nodding, "we're cool."

They exchanged small smiles, but otherwise remained silent for a few moments.

"Nice hat," Dick teased, and the atmosphere instantly returned to normal between the two good friends.

"Ugh, I know," Speedy groaned, taking it off and turning it over in his hands. "I don't know how someone could wear this all the time."

"Robin!" Starfire called, and he suddenly lurched to the right as she grabbed hold of his arm. "Come quickly! Más y Menos have proposed a game of spinning bottles, and I need you to explain it to me!"

"They- You- WHAT!?" he blurted, and Speedy laughed loudly as he was pulled away, scrambling to stay on his feet as Starfire dragged him across the room.

When she stopped, he found himself staring at Más y Menos' startled, disappointed faces. The two brothers looked at one another before leaning in, conversing quietly in Spanish, not knowing Dick could understand them.

"_Is he playing?_" Más asked, looking furtively up at him.

"_I hope not, but still, odds are the bottle with land on one of us anyway,_"Menos answered.

Más smiled deviously at his brother, and Dick clenched his fists, fighting the urge to interject.

"_True,_" Más appraised, smirking. "_Finally, we will get a kiss from Starfire!_"

"You will WHAT!?" Starfire shrieked, her hands planting on her hips as her eyes narrowed furiously down at the twins.

Más y Menos exchanged frantic glances, shirking fearfully away from her glower.

"You are- You two- I cannot even begin to- ACK!" She stormed away, her hands fists as her eyes burned green.

"_Where did she learn Spanish?_" Más asked breathlessly, and Menos shrugged dazedly.

Dick leaned down toward the twins, smirking, and they looked up at him curiously.

"_From me_," he said, and, as the twins' faces drained of color, he turned and walked away, chuckling to himself.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The music blared as the Titans twisted around on the dance floor, and Starfire spun Raven around, their hands intertwined over her head.

"Star!" Raven shouted over the music, laughing as she rolled her eyes. "I'm getting dizzy!"

Starfire laughed as she lowered Raven's hand. "My apologies, Raven," she said, beaming at her friend. "I simply adore the dancing!"

"Well, I think I need a break," Raven replied, sliding her hand out from Starfire's.

"Mind if I cut in?" Beast Boy asked, and Raven spun around to face his outstretched paw and warm smile.

"Uh, sure," Raven muttered, gingerly placing her hand in his and returning his smile.

Starfire smirked at her friend. "I thought you needed a br-"

"Shush!" Raven snapped, slapping her arm lightly, and Starfire laughed as she watched her friends passing through the crowd hand-in-hand.

"Princess?" she heard behind her, already grinning as she spun toward the voice. "May I have this dance?"

Dick stretched a hand out toward her, impossibly handsome with his sparkling grin and eyes she imagined she could see.

She beamed at him as she giggled, bowing slightly and taking his hand.

He tugged her toward him and she crashed into his chest with a surprised gasp, blinking to bring his suddenly-much-closer face into focus. He smirked down at her, and, as her knees melted beneath her, she wondered if she would ever be able to not turn into a complete fool every time Dick looked at her.

"Robin," she whispered, scanning the dancing Titans around them warily, "everyone is looking."

"Yea, well, seeing me dance is kind of like seeing a dog walk on its hind legs," he chuckled.

"Oh, no!" she insisted, shaking her head. "You are much more coordinated than that!"

Dick laughed, and she knew immediately she had misunderstood some earthly expression once again.

"I mean that it's rare," he clarified, "and kinda silly looking."

"Nonsense," she scolded, lifting off the floor so she could sink to rest her head against his shoulder. "You are a remarkable dancer."

"Years of practice," Dick said softly back, his breath ruffling her hair.

They spun for a moment, her savoring the warmth of his shoulder against her cheek, before something clicked in her mind, and her eyes shot open wide.

"Wait," she said, leaning away from him to stare critically into his eyes, "what do you mean 'years of practice'?"

"Uh…" Dick murmured, swallowing hard, and her eyes narrowed even further. "Well, it's just that…I've had to go to a lot of…fancy functions over the years," he said hurriedly, and she could nearly see his eyes darting back-and-forth to ensure no one could overhear.

"And who did you dance with at these _functions_?" she added, her mouth pressing into a thin, disapproving line.

Even in the dark, she could see him turning red.

"Just…people," he muttered, his lips barely moving as he spoke. "Mostly the daughters of guys Bruce was trying to impress."

"Did you- Did you ever- Were you-" she stammered, not entirely sure how to say it, or if she could even manage to.

"God no!" he blurted, and Bumblebee and Cyborg turned from their dancing to look at them, alarmed and concerned.

"No," Dick repeated, softer now as he gave the staring pair a small, reassuring smile, and they returned to their twirling. "It was just favors for Bruce. I don't think I even saw any of the girls more than once."

She narrowed her eyes at him, scanning his face for sincerity, and then smiled softly as she was satisfied.

Dick sighed with relief as he pulled her back toward him, one hand settling on the small of her back.

"They're all terribly boring too," he added into her ear. "All they wanna talk about is what it's like to be a Wayne. All the money and fast cars and crap."

Starfire giggled at his embittered tone, and he smiled across at her.

"I'm just saying, they're all really awful," he continued, pulling her back so her head rested on his shoulder once again.

"And ugly," he said softly, and she chuckled into his neck.

"And they smell," he muttered.

She let out a small burst of laughter, leaning away for a moment to hit him lightly on the chest before returning to his shoulder, which was vibrating slightly with his chuckling.

The music changed as time went by, getting progressively tamer as it got later, but she hardly noticed. She and Dick spent most of their time slow dancing, regardless of the pace of the music, so they could talk. He was home-she would always consider the Tower his home-so infrequently lately, they had to use every possible moment. Mostly they talked about what battles the Titans had fought in his absence, and he listened intently with eyebrows furrowed.

She knew it bothered him to not be around for such things, but she was uncertain if that were because he felt they would need him, or because he was upset they did not. His absence was certainly missed on many occasions, but they had not yet come across an enemy they could not defeat without his help.

She was also very careful to leave out any parts of the stories that involved physical harm to her. She had made that mistake once over one of their video chatting sessions, and Dick had insisted on her bringing Raven in to heal the minute scratch on her arm. Even thousands of miles away, he still managed to be overprotective, and it would have been frustrating were it not so endearing.

What seemed to her to be all of a sudden, it was the early hours of the morning, and the visiting Titans began the slow process of leaving. Kid Flash was the last to go, promising to wash Dick's uniform before returning it, but Dick suggested he simply burn it after Kid Flash revealed he had not bothered wearing undergarments.

"Well, I guess we should clean up," Cyborg sighed, his arms stretching over his head as he yawned.

"Naw, leave it," Dick said, batting a hand lackadaisically, and they all turned to look at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"What?" he asked. "I'm tired."

"Dude," Beast Boy mumbled from his seat on the couch, his eyes drooping sleepily, "I might be dreaming, but did Robin just say we could procrastinate?"

"Tonight," Dick clarified sternly, but Beast Boy grinned regardless.

"I'll take it!" he said, stretching his feet out across the couch, his back lowering toward where Raven sat against the arm. He leaned against her lightly, his head pressed against the side of her shoulder, and she looked down at him, her eyes wide and angry.

"Do I look like a pillow to you?" she snapped.

"Dunno," Beast Boy yawned, wriggling more comfortably into the couch as he closed his eyes. "You're behind me."

Raven's mouth opened as if to retaliate, but she closed it again with a sigh, shaking her head as she raised the remote to turn on the TV.

"You are not going to retire, Raven?" Starfire asked, approaching the back of the couch.

"Not yet," she answered, flicking through the channels, the bluish-white light reflecting off her face. "I think I'm gonna unwind for a bit. Parties stress me out," she added grumpily, and Starfire giggled at her scowl.

"I shall see you in the morning," she said, smiling at her friend. "Both of you," she whispered, and Raven turned to give her a sharp glare as Starfire floated away.

"Yea, I'm gonna turn in too," Cyborg said through a yawn, heading to the door in front of her.

Dick followed behind her, and the three of them left the living room and entered the hallway.

In their usual, precautionary way, she and Dick both went to their perspective doors as Cyborg continued to the end of the hallway.

"Night," he called over his shoulder as he rounded the corner.

"Pleasant schlorvaks!" she returned, covering Dick's mumbled 'Goodnight'.

She passed through her door, waiting for it to close behind her before lifting into the air so her footsteps would not be heard rushing through the bathroom.

"Woah!" Dick chuckled, his arms slowly wrapping around her shoulders as he returned her embrace. "I was gone for like three seconds."

She shushed him, shaking her head into his chest. "I do not get much time with you," she reminded. "I must utilize every second."

"Well, alright," he said, and she looked up to find him smiling, "but how about we get changed first? Your starfish keeps stabbing me in the head," he added, tapping at the ornament in her hair.

She pulled away, laughing. "Very well," she conceded, floating back into her room and closing the bathroom door behind her.

It did not take long to change out of her Ariel costume and into a pair of pajamas-purple pants and a large, green t-shirt-, and she wandered into the bathroom to begin the process of removing pins from her hair. She was just removing the last of them-although she had thought she had found the last of them several times already-when Dick walked in, wearing his usual plaid pants and white t-shirt, his mask removed.

"I don't think I've ever been so tired in my entire life," he said before flipping the water on in his sink and splashing some onto his face.

She giggled faintly as she ruffled her hair, feeling through to make sure she had removed all of the pins before reaching for her toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter beside her sink.

There was a time in the earlier days of their relationship when she would have wrestled a raging flarnop before allowing Dick to see her brush her teeth, but things had changed as his time at the Tower had deteriorated. She refrained from using the special sticky, muddy mask Raven had purchased for her when Dick was around, but he was privy to the rest of her rituals.

When she had finished brushing her teeth, spitting as dignifiedly as possible, she passed behind Dick, who was brushing his own teeth, and sat on the center of his bed. She crossed her legs beneath her as she watched him, perching her elbows on her knees so she could hold her head in her hands. It never ceased to amaze her how he could make her heart palpitate even while doing something as simple as brushing his teeth.

"What?" he asked, looking at her self-consciously. "Do I have toothpaste on me?" He turned back to the mirror, wiping non-existent spots.

"No," she answered softly, smiling at him, and he returned it as he pulled away from the mirror.

He walked into the room, flicking the bathroom light off behind him, and clicked on his bedside lamp before also flipping the bedroom lights off. He slid onto the bed beside her, and she took her usual position, stretched out diagonally with her head on his chest. They lay there like that for some time, silent as she listened to his heartbeat and he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Kory?" he said after awhile, and she tilted her head upward to see his eyes. "Ya know…I don't like leaving either."

She smiled into his vulnerable, sad eyes. "I know," she whispered, and he smiled back at her.

She lowered her head once again, staring across his chest at the wall, sleep slowly creeping down her body as she got lost in the rhythmic passes of his hand in her hair. Breathing in his clean scent, she listened to the sound of his heart, her eyes gradually closing with the slowing beats.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: **__SEE THE BOTTOM because I don't wanna give anything away here_

_No songs this chapter_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The sun shone in the windows, and Starfire bitterly remembered that they had forgotten to close the curtains after the party the night before. Opening her eyes, she remained completely still for a moment as she took in her situation.

She was still lying on Dick's chest, exactly where she had fallen asleep, and, judging by the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest, he had not yet awoken. Slow and careful, she lifted her head, twisting it upward to look at his face.

His head was propped up against the pillow, his head tilted to the side, his lips slightly parted as he breathed deeply.

Her mouth slowly stretched up as she watched him, marveling at how peaceful he looked. In a few short hours, he would be waking up, grabbing his suitcase, and flying away from her back to Gotham in the unmanned Batgyro that was usually sent to pick him up. For now, however, this sleepy moment in the sun, he was hers.

She watched him for awhile, she was uncertain how long exactly, before she gently levitated off the bed, hovering over to the bathroom. Closing the door gently behind her, she brushed her teeth as quietly as possible before going into her room. She quickly got changed into her swimsuit and grabbed a robe before she left, heading down the hall toward the living room. As she crossed the room toward the stairwell door, she heard a small sound to her right and twisted around in alarm. The initial flood of panic, however, was quickly replaced by a tight, wide grin as she fought to suppress the squeal rising up her throat.

Beast Boy was stretched across the couch, his upper body propped up against Raven, whose head was resting on his shoulder. Some time throughout the night she must have begun to lean on him too, and they were now seemingly relying on one another for support, pressed together at their sides.

Starfire grabbed a blanket off the back of a nearby chair, unfurling it as she approached them. As she draped it over her two, sleeping friends, Raven shifted, twisting more toward Beast Boy and resting a hand on his chest.

Deciding she better leave before she could not contain her excitement, she floated back over to the stairwell, holding the handle down as she closed it so as to rouse them with the loud click. She flew up to the roof, pushing open the door and bursting into the sunlight.

It was nearly 10am, later than she usually got up, and the sun was already relatively high in the sky. She walked barefoot across the roof, approaching the swimming pool that Cyborg had built into one of the outreaching sides of the 'T'. There was a large, glass, greenhouse-style structure built over top to better insulate it in the colder months, but the windows were retractable in the summer. Being that it was now the first day of November though, she would be leaving the windows closed, grateful that the pool was also heated.

She placed her robe and a towel she grabbed from the poolside cabinet onto one of the lounge chairs before walking down the few steps into the pool, a shiver running up her body as the water passed up her legs. She gave her body a moment to adjust before sucking in a quick breath and submersing her head. She blinked her eyes open under the water, the chlorine not bothering her Tamaranean eyes the way it did her friends', and swam toward the opposite side of the pool. Her arms stretched out in front of her as her feet cut through the water, propelling her forward. Being that she could hold her breath much longer than humans, she reached the end of the pool easily before coming up, wrapping her fingertips around the concrete edge. She floated there for a moment before plunging back under the water, swimming back the way she had come.

She continued swimming back-and-forth for quite some time, hardly coming up for air at all. As she was approaching the end of the pool on one of her laps, she saw a watery figure standing at the edge, and it was obvious who it was even with the distortion.

She burst from the water, wiping her eyes as she hooked her arms on the ledge, holding herself aloft as she smiled up at him.

"Good morning!" she chirped, and Dick chuckled.

"You could have woken me up, ya know."

"I know," she said, pushing hair out of her eyes, "but you looked so peaceful. I did not wish to disturb you."

He turned slightly pink as he cleared his throat, and she smiled at his embarrassment.

Dick was exceptionally uncomfortable when she referred to him as anything that made him sound like less of a stoic leader. She had not even attempted the names of endearment yet. It was then she noticed the bag at his feet.

"When?" she asked simply, resigned to this after so long, and made her way toward the steps to exit the pool.

"Soon," he answered flatly, and she heard his boots click across the concrete toward her as she rose out of the water.

With a heavy sigh she grabbed the towel off the end of her chair, unfurling it and pressing it to her chest. As she moved the towel down her stomach, lifting one leg onto the chair as she began drying her thighs, she glanced up at Dick to find him standing a few feet away, his mouth open dazedly.

"What?" she questioned, looking down at her purple bikini as she lifted the towel to the dripping tips of her hair.

"Nothing," Dick said hastily, his voice slightly higher than usual. "You just- You're not making leaving any easier." He smiled awkwardly at her, and she chuckled.

"Perhaps that is part of my diabolical plot," she taunted, raising her eyebrows at him.

He closed the distance between them, taking her free hand in his as he laughed. "You don't have a diabolical bone in your body," he chuckled, shaking his head at her.

"Hey!" she snapped, her eyes narrowing at him. "I could be diabolical!"

"Oh, really?" he said with an incredulous snicker. "Kory, you made boots for Silkie last week."

"It was getting too cold for him to be outside without proper protection!" she insisted, for what she felt like was the hundredth time. Why did no one else seem to understand the necessity of appropriate footwear?

"I know, I know," he soothed, but her eyes narrowed at him regardless. "I'm just saying, making boots for a mutant larva doesn't exactly say diabolical."

"I suppose you are right," she chuckled, pulling away from him to grab the robe, leaving the towel draped across the chair. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and wrapped the robe around her, giving the tie a sharp tug to secure the knot at her front.

Dick smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her toward him, and she giggled into his masked eyes.

They stood there for a moment, him plucking at the tips of her damp strands while she fiddled absentmindedly with the clasp of his cape.

"Dick?" she said softly after awhile.

"Hmm?" he murmured, his eyebrows furrowing.

"How much longer will this persist?" she asked, and she felt his sigh.

"Kory…" He hesitated, his hand wrapping around hers at his shoulder. "I-I don't know."

"And you still will not tell me what it is you are doing?" she assumed, already feeling defeated.

"_Can_not," Dick corrected firmly, "not _will_ not."

She narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at him, and he sighed heavily.

"Kory, I just can't tell you," he insisted desperately. "I want to, I just…I can't."

She scanned his face, reading his sincerity, but it did not soothe the uneasiness in her stomach.

"Is it dangerous?" she asked, as his expression turned confused.

"What?"

"Is what you are doing that you cannot tell me dangerous?" she clarified, searching his face for some, small hint.

Strangely, he chuckled. "Everything we do is dangerous, Kory," he reminded, and she frowned worriedly. "I'm careful," he assured, lifting her chin with his fingers.

"Promise?" she whispered, and he smiled gently at her.

"Promise," he repeated, closing the distance between them to press his lips to hers.

She lifted her hand from his chest to his neck as she returned the kiss, her fingertips grazing against his hair.

Abruptly, he pulled away, twisting to look behind him, and it was then she noticed the large, black aircraft lowering onto the Tower. The Batgyro was a rather unique looking device, "a plane with gyroscopic additions", as Dick had put it. To her, however, it merely looked like a plane with odd, rotating propellers embedded into the wings.

With an apologetic smile, he released her, and she followed him as he grabbed his bag and approached the plane.

"I'll call you tonight," he assured, stopping beside the plane to give her a last embrace.

"You will be back Tuesday?" she asked, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck as she leaned back to look at him.

"What's Tuesday?" he muttered, and she gasped.

"Dick!?" she bleated, but stopped short of further reprimanding when he began to laugh.

"I'm kidding!" he chuckled, and she gave him a stern look. "Of course I'll be here Tuesday," he reassured, and, in spite of being angry about the jest, she returned his soft kiss.

"Bye," he whispered as they parted.

"Goodbye," she whispered back, and he gave her a fleeting smile before pulling away and leaping up onto the plane, sliding into the single compartment with his bag.

She backed away as the plane roared to life, the jets blowing her robe around her knees. He gave her one last, small wave before the plane lifted off, and she watched until it became merely a speck against the sky, and then faded to nothing.

She sighed heavily as she dropped her head, tugging the robe tightly around her body, as if she could keep the loneliness from breaking in. It always did though, and she could feel it even now; a cold pain slowly freezing through her veins and icing across her chest.

He would be back in a week; she only had to make it a week. Five days, to be precise. He would be back for Corgaza.

After a lengthy explanation from her, and many questions from Dick, it had been determined that the Tamaranean holiday of Corgaza was essentially their version of the earthly Valentine's Day. She had very hesitantly brought it up, and Dick had been quite uncomfortable with the discussion, but it was extremely important to her. She had never had a significant person in her life with which to celebrate the holiday, and she was very much looking forward to it. On the earthen calendar it fell on November the 6th, and Dick had assured her many times that he would be back for it. He had become much less averse to the idea once he had discovered it was not customary to exchange gifts, merely a day which was spent in one another's company. Couples could perhaps enjoy food or take a trip to the weaponry practice facilities, but that was perhaps something unique to Tamaran. She would, indeed, be disappointed if Dick wanted to train all day.

"You okay?"

The voice broke through her thoughts, and she turned from her wistful gazing to find Raven approaching her across the roof.

"No," she answered honestly, smiling sadly at her friend, and Raven swung an arm around her shoulder.

"Come on," Raven said softly. "This calls for pancakes."

Starfire chuckled as she allowed Raven to lead her toward the door, her mood lifting slightly at her friend's comforting touch.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Dick_**

"Master Dick! Back so soon?"

"Hey, Alfred," he answered, mustering a weak smile as he entered from the elevator that connected the hidden hangar to the manor, pulling his mask off as he went.

"Something troubles you, Master Richard?" Alfred presumed, his warm, blue eyes sparkling with concern.

"It's nothing, Alfred," he sighed wearily, rubbing his eyes. "Just the usual secrets and lies."

"Ah," Alfred said, smiling understandingly as he reached for the bag in Dick's hand.

"I can take-" Dick started, but Alfred ripped it from his hand.

"Master Bruce insisted you join him in the study as soon as you arrived," Alfred interjected as he headed down the massive, echoing hallway.

Dick's face fell as he lingered for a moment, prolonging the reunion as long as he reasonably could before shuffling through the winding hallways to the grand, wooden doors of the study, which were open in anticipation of his arrival.

"Dick?" a gruff, male voice said, and a figure stood up, silhouetted against the fireplace.

"Bruce," Dick answered with mocking formality as his father walked around his big, leather chair to greet him.

"You've got to talk to him," Bruce said simply, staring sternly down at him.

"Yea, trip was fine, thanks," Dick quipped, and Bruce's eyes narrowed. "What's he done now?" Dick sighed, resigned to the conversation.

"He's too violent," Bruce explained, walking past him and going over to the ornate, wooden desk in front of the window.

"What do you want me to do?" Dick snapped, watching as Bruce poured himself a small amount of some amber-colored liquid he pulled from a drawer.

"I just told you," Bruce muttered, pausing to take a sip. "Talk to him."

"Oh, right, of course! Well, I'll just go do that then," Dick said with sarcastic enthusiasm, turning to leave.

"Dick?"

"What?" he answered wearily, half-turning toward his drinking father.

"Barbara was looking for you," Bruce informed before settling back in his chair, placing his back to Dick, and he took that as permission to go.

Walking down the hallway toward the kitchen, his boots clicking against the marble, Dick shoved his hands into the pockets of his uniform, his forehead furrowing with thought. Why was it always his responsible to talk to him? Bruce was obviously the authority figure. Dick was just his-

"Dick!" his brother called, popping out of the kitchen door before he could reach it and rushing up to him.

"Hey, Jason," he greeted, smiling at the boy. He wasn't much of a boy anymore though, something Dick was having trouble accepting.

Jason was 16 years old and just as tall as Dick now. He would likely surpass him sometime soon, and Dick knew he would never hear the end of that. He got enough shit about being short from Jason as it was.

"I was waiting for you to get home. We gotta talk, man," Jason said hurriedly, a suspicious light in his pale, blue eyes.

"About…?" Dick prodded as they walked into the kitchen, pretty sure that what Jason wanted to talk about was not what Dick had been instructed to discuss with him.

"Your girlfriend!" Jason exclaimed, and Dick nearly fell off the stool he was in the process of sitting on.

"Who- What-What are you talking about?" he stammered. He hadn't exactly been hiding the fact that he was dating Starfire, but he hadn't mentioned it either.

"Oh, come on!" Jason sighed exasperatedly as he pulled up a stool next to him. "That leggy redhead you were making out with before you left!"

"What leggy redhead?"

Dick's brain froze completely as he heard a familiar voice, unable to believe that this situation could possibly be getting worse. Timing that horribly unfortunate didn't happen it real life. He couldn't possibly be that unlucky.

"Who were you making out with, Dick?" Babs snapped, her blue eyes piercing and accusing.

"I-I- Uh-" he stumbled, wondering why there was suddenly no oxygen in the room.

"That girl that's in the Titans with him," Jason answered, and Dick had enough presence of mind to manage to glare at him. Wasn't there a code about these sorts of things?

"Raven?" Babs guessed, one eyebrow rising. "But she's not- OH MY GOD!" Babs shrieked, pointing at him, and his stomach sank as her face lit up. "YOU'RE DATING STARFIRE!?"

"About time, in my opinion," Alfred chimed in, appearing in that ninja-like way of his across the kitchen island as he opened the fridge and began rummaging inside.

"You are though?" Babs asked, softer now, and the excitement on her face noticeably drained. "You're really dating her?"

"I-I- Why is my life suddenly everybody's business!?" Dick snapped, twisting away from their prying eyes to stare down at the counter in front of him.

"It's a simple question," Jason taunted. "Are you boning her or not?"

"God, Jase!" Dick blurted, shaking his head at his brother with incredulous disgust. "What is _wrong_ with you!?"

"I'm just sayin'!" Jason chuckled in response. "I wouldn't blame you. She is one-"

"Okay, stop! Just-Just stop!" he interjected, realizing this was going to get way out of hand if he didn't just bite the bullet now. "I-I am dating her," he admitted, and Jason grinned.

"I knew it!" Jason exclaimed, thrusting a fist into the air in victory. "You've been way too nice lately. Figured you must be getting la-"

"Stop!" Dick shouted, pounding on the counter, wondering if his head could explode from all the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Are you, though?" Babs interjected. "Are you…" she hesitated, her eyes narrowing with some combination of surprise and anger.

"No," he answered flatly, and Babs still looked suspicious, but also slightly relieved. "Now, can we drop it? Please!?" he added, scanning the trio of staring faces.

They all mumbled their assent and shrugged, and Babs came to sit on the stool at his other side as Alfred pulled a tray of sandwiches out of the fridge.

"Thanks, Alfred," Dick sighed gratefully, suddenly realizing how hungry he was as he reached across and grabbed a roast beef.

Babs and Jason also muttered quick thanks, and Alfred smiled before leaving them to their food.

"Hey, wait," Dick said, swallowing a mouthful of sandwich as a thought occurred to him. "How did you see Starfire and me kissing?"

"Pulled up the external cameras on the Batgyro," Jason answered with a shrug, and Dick nearly choked.

"You WHAT!?" he spluttered. "You can't just- That's-" Dick opened and closed his mouth several times, not quite sure how to put into words how inappropriate that was. He was sure there was a rule against that in the code.

"Well, I'm glad he spied on you," Babs muttered bitterly, picking at the bread on her turkey sandwich. "Not like you tell us anything anymore."

"I-I would have…gotten around to it," he mumbled down at his sandwich, and Babs snorted.

He twisted toward her, completely nonplussed by her reaction, but figured it was best not to start a fight over it. Instead, he changed the subject.

"So, Jason," he started, getting up off the stool and heading to the fridge, "Bruce wanted me to talk to you."

"About what?" he heard Jason blurt behind him, and Dick rolled his eyes as he bent to grab some sodas.

"About your tactics," Dick clarified, shooting the cans across the counter, and they slid deftly into the two waiting hands. "He thinks you're still being too violent."

"Too violent!?" Jason repeated angrily. "Well…what do you think?" he redirected as Dick came to sit back on the stool.

"He's out there with you more than me," Dick reminded as he shrugged, opening his can of soda with a hiss.

"Yea, but you're the one training me to be Robin," Jason countered, his normally hard eyes betraying his need for approval. "How do you think I'm doing?"

Dick took longer than necessary to chew his bite of sandwich, trying to formulate the most delicate way to say this. Jason had been progressing pretty well in all of the training Dick was giving him at the manor, and, from what he'd monitored of Jason's missions with Bruce, he was getting pretty good at that too. Jason didn't go out too often with Bruce though, mostly staying at the manor and watching Dick and Bruce on various CCTV cameras Babs hacked, and he was still learning the dynamics of that. Jason had a temper, that was no secret, and, if Dick was being honest with himself, he had seen it come out a time or two on a criminal.

"I think… I think Bruce has a point," Dick said finally, and Jason looked crestfallen for a moment before he caught himself.

"What?" Jason whined, the anger rising in his face once again. "But I always catch the guys. What more does he-"

"I think," Dick interrupted pointedly, "Bruce means the way you catch the guys. You don't have to smack 'em around so much before you 'cuff 'em. Just knocking them off balance would do."

"But that's what you guys always do!" Jason raged, his soda spilling slightly as he slammed it on the counter. "You just pussy around! Nobody ever learns a lesson; they just get out on parole after a few months and do the same damn thing!"

"That's not our job," Dick said firmly, giving Jason a stern look. "We bring the criminals to justice; we don't dole it out."

"Well maybe we should!" Jason bellowed, rising off his stool with a loud bang as he stormed out of the kitchen.

Dick sighed heavily, pressing circles into his forehead with his fingers. Jason had all the enthusiasm in the world; he just channeled it really poorly. Bruce still had faith he could turn around, of course, seeing a lot of himself in Jason, but Dick wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe Jason just wasn't the hero type. Maybe he'd been through too much.

"He has a point, ya know," Babs said softly beside him, knocking Dick from his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" he asked, and she turned her blue eyes toward him.

"About the criminals," she clarified somberly. "About how nothing ever changes. Sometimes I wonder if we're really doing anything at all…" She turned her gaze back to the counter, tapping absent-mindedly at the side of her can.

"That's ridiculous!" he snapped, and her grip tightened around her soda. "Of course we're doing something! We're the only people doing something!"

"I'm not saying it doesn't matter, Dick," she interjected, her eyes fiery as she glared at him. "I'm just saying…it's hard sometimes," she finished, the anger fading to a sad hopelessness as her gaze fell to his chest. "We're always catching the same criminals, stopping the same crimes," she rambled mournfully, "and none of it even makes a dent." She lifted her eyes back to his, defeat etched into every curve of her face. "When does it end, Dick?" she whispered, the sadness in her voice creating a lead weight in his chest.

He stared back at her, both confused and surprised. Those feelings quickly subsided, however, and his jaw set determinedly against her.

"I guess it's a good thing you quit then," he snapped, and he saw a flicker of hurt surprise flash across her face as he stood up, taking his can of soda with him into the hall.

He felt bad about it moments later, but he did not turn around. Apologies were not exactly a Bat Family strong suit. Instead, he headed to his room, closing the heavy, wooden door behind him.

Alfred had placed his bag on his bed already, so Dick pulled his computer from the confines and took it over to the desk in front of the window, opening it as he sat down in the chair. It took a few minutes for the computer to boot up and all the passwords to be entered before he clicked the video chatting button and waited. The program opened seconds later, and he double-clicked the appropriate icon-a green, gemlike star.

"Dick!" Starfire chirped, beaming at him from the screen, and he couldn't help but smile back. "How was your trip?"

"Fine," he chuckled, glad somebody asked at least. "Got here a while ago. Grabbed a sandwich and such with Alfred," he added, and even this small lie made his stomach wriggle uncomfortably.

Bruce had expressly forbid him from telling any of the Titans about the reason for his trips back to Gotham, and keeping the secret from Starfire from getting especially tiresome. If there was anyone he wanted to tell about training Jason to be Robin so he could finally become Nightwing, it was her, but he couldn't. In fact, Starfire didn't know about Jason at all, and that was probably the part that bothered him the most.

"Oh, how is Alfred?" she asked excitedly, her eyes sparkling naively.

Dick laughed, displacing his previous thoughts. "Fine," he answered, but his smile faded to a skeptical look. "You really like Alfred, huh?"

"Why?" she asked coyly, smirking in a way that made his heart jump. "Are you the jealous?"

"I might be…if he wasn't ancient," he replied, and Starfire laughed.

"Perhaps I appreciate a more mature man," she suggested, one eyebrow rising, and his mouth dropped open.

"I'm flattered, Miss Starfire," an unmistakable voice said, and Dick turned to find Alfred closing his door as he stepped inside, "but I do believe Master Richard is perhaps your better match."

"Greetings, Alfred!" she exclaimed, and Dick shifted in his chair so she could better see Alfred as he approached. "I trust you are well?"

"Indeed," he confirmed, smiling warmly at the screen. "And yourself?"

"Quite well, thank you," she answered, nodding for emphasis. "I have been wondering about your poker game. Were you successful?"

"Exceptionally so," Alfred said with a smirk, and Dick looked up at him curiously. "I believe Mister Fox may still be crying."

Starfire giggled at him, and opened her mouth to respond when a familiar alarm blared through the speakers.

"I must go," she blurted, looking into the camera fervently.

"Be careful!" Dick reminded, and she gave him a small smile before disconnecting the call.

Dick sighed, resting his hand on his palm as he gazed at the now-blank screen, worry twisting into a knot in his chest.

"She will be fine, Master Richard," Alfred assured, tapping a hand gingerly on his shoulder. "Miss Starfire is more than capable of taking care of herself."

"I know," Dick sighed, twisting in his chair to face the man, "but that doesn't mean I can't worry."

Alfred smiled warmly down at him, and Dick slowly returned the gesture.

"Thanks for not ratting me out earlier, by the way," Dick said up to the man. "I'm sure they would've been even more upset if they knew you'd found out awhile ago."

"I doubt they would have been terribly surprised," Alfred answered with a shrug. "I know everything," he added with a smirk, and Dick laughed.

"Still," he said, rising off the chair and walking over to his bag, "thanks."

"It was no trouble, sir," Alfred replied, and Dick rolled his eyes.

In spite of his best efforts to convince him otherwise, Dick figured Alfred would always call him 'sir'.

"I wonder, sir…if I may be so bold," Alfred began hesitantly, and Dick paused in his unpacking to turn toward him, "when will we be able to properly meet Miss Starfire?"

"Well, I-" he started, looking down at the floor as he scratched the back of his neck, "I was thinking I might, uh…invite her for Christmas." He muttered the last part hurriedly, looking up at Alfred embarrassedly through the tops of his eyes.

The old man smiled down at him with something that Dick would swear was pride.

"That is a marvelous idea, Master Richard," Alfred emphatically agreed. "The Manor is always so splendidly decorated at the holidays," he sighed, his eyes turning dreamy.

Dick chuckled, but a question gnawed at him.

"Do you think…" he hesitated, his eyebrows furrowing as he searched for the words. "Do you think they'll like her?" He looked up at Alfred, searching the man's wrinkled face.

"From what I have seen of Miss Starfire in our brief conversations, sir," Alfred began thoughtfully, "she is a remarkable young woman." He placed a hand on Dick's shoulder as he smiled down at him. "I am certain she will fit in quite famously."

Dick smiled up at his old friend, the wise, blue eyes reassuring him.

"Thanks, Alfred," he mumbled, and the man retracted his hand. "So, why did you come in here in the first place?"

"I am heading to the store," Alfred explained, placing his hand on the door handle. "I was wondering if there was anything you required."

Dick shook his head, walking across the room toward his closet. "I don't think so, but I'll come with you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, Master Richard," Alfred replied as Dick took off his boots and slid a pair of dress pants over his uniform, "but may I ask why?"

"Just…"he hesitated as he pulled an undershirt over his head, plucking a dress shirt from the closet to go overtop, "wanna get out of the house for awhile."

The two exchanged small, understanding smiles as Dick buttoned the blue pinstriped shirt, tucking it into his grey pants.

"I will be waiting in the car," Alfred said as he disappeared through the door with a small nod.

Dick slipped his feet into a pair of black shoes and slid a matching black, leather belt around his waist before going to check his appearance in the full-length mirror beside the closet.

Staring back at him was Richard Grayson, the mysterious, stoic son of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, dressed to the nines, as usual. In a lot of ways, he preferred wearing his uniform. He'd gotten used to the suits and such a long time ago, but it never really felt like him. It was just another mask.

With a sigh at himself in the mirror, he pulled his grey, wool coat out of the closet, sliding his arms through the sleeves as he headed out the door.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ I made up the word "Corgaza" using Latin. Combining the two words into one, Corgaza means "heart treasure"._

_The Batgyro is actually present in the comics, but I've modernized the concept to be a plane that has hovering capabilities like a helicopter._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: **__Sorry this is a day late; I got crazy overwhelmed yesterday and just couldn't find time to proofread it and everything. It's back to the regular schedule now though, so expect your usual Monday chapter!_

_**Songs: **__"Build Me Up Buttercup" - Foundations_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

3 days. Dick was coming home in 3 days. 72 hours. 4,320 minutes.

She lay flat on her back on the pink bed, staring up at the ceiling. As much as she tried to socialize with the rest of the team while Dick was gone, she always felt so out of place. It had always been this way, even before they were together. When Dick had gone to find the grand master for his martial arts training, she had been a mess. Not even Raven's pancakes or Beast Boy and Cyborg's jokes could cheer her up, and it had never gotten any better, even with all the time Dick was gone now.

Sighing heavily, she clutched Dick's shirt closer to her chest, breathing in the fading scent.

The first time he had left for an entire week, she had snuck into his room and plucked a t-shirt from his closet. She laid it beside her on the bed when she slept and, when she closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, she could almost imagine he was there. Of course, one time she had forgotten to wash and replace the shirt, and she had needed to awkwardly explain when he found it there. Ever since, he left her one folded on her bed, and this time it was the white dress shirt he had worn at the Halloween party.

She sat up, laying the shirt down on the bed beside her as she rose and walked to her desk. The computer sat open in front of her, the video chat program open on the screen. She always kept it up, just in case, but the little red and yellow 'R' insignia remained tinted grey, signaling Dick was offline, as always.

It had not troubled her so much at first, but it was now starting to upset her that Dick hardly ever called. He had been better about it at the beginning, calling at least once a day, but it had slowly dwindled, and now she was lucky to get a couple minutes over several days. She had not spoken to Dick about this, of course, considering she never had the opportunity.

Glancing to her right, she saw the picture she had framed of the two of them, taken by a rather invasive Beast Boy shortly after they had started dated. She had it sitting beside her snow globe, the still-blooming orchid stretching out from behind. Grabbing the picture, she leaned back in her chair, staring down sadly at their faces.

It would help if Dick was not so secretive about his activities. As it was, not only did she never hear from him, but the seconds dragged on like self-contained eternities as she worried for him constantly. It was like an ever-present weight in her chest, inhibiting her breathing as her lungs had to work around the fear.

"Starfire?"

She lifted her head to the voice, and rose off her chair as a knock rang around the room.

"Hey!" Beast Boy greeted, beaming up at her as he lowered his hand, which looked as though it was preparing to knock again.

"Good afternoon, Beast Boy," she replied, smiling back at him. "What is it that you require?"

"Nothing," he said with a shrug. "We were just wondering if you wanted to-"

Just then, her computer began beeping, and she gasped as she shot back over to the desk. Her heart sank, however, when she saw that Dick was not calling, instead just sending her a small message in text.

_I'll call you tonight at 7pm your time. Hope you'll be around._

She checked his icon, but it was already dim. He must have merely taken a moment to send her that brief, curt message before leaving once again, and her heart sank.

"Robin?" Beast Boy asked, hesitantly approaching her shoulder.

She shook her head, leaning away from the computer. "He says he will call tonight."

"You don't sound so sure," Beast Boy said curiously.

"I am not," she admitted, giving him a small, sad smile. "He always says he will call," she added weakly.

"Come on," Beast Boy beckoned, wrapping his fingers around her forearm and guiding her toward the door. "Cyborg and I wanna play doubles with you and Raven."

"Doubles?" she repeated, confused, but allowed him to lead her down the hall.

"Yea, like in a video game," Beast Boy explained as they entered the living room. "You and Cyborg will be on one team, and Raven and I will be on another. We even hooked up another TV!" he announced, grandly gesturing to the setup.

"Run," Raven muttered from her spot on the large chair that was facing the extra television. "Run while you still can."

"Oh come on, Raven," Cyborg cajoled, but she continued staring resolutely at Starfire.

"It's too late for me," Raven continued, "but you can still save yourself."

"Raven," Beast Boy sighed exasperatedly, leaving Starfire's side to lean over the back of the glowering girl's chair. "Come on, give it a chance. It could be fun!"

Raven glared up at him, obviously unconvinced.

"Pleeeeease?" Beast Boy whined, stretching his face down to hers, a pleading grin on his face.

She watched him for a moment, her eyes scanning and calculating.

"Well…" she said hesitantly, and Beast Boy's ears perked up. "Alright," she conceded, and he let out an enthusiastic shout of victory as she rolled her eyes.

"You're with me, Star," Cyborg interjected, beckoning her to sit beside him on the usual couch, and she complied. He placed one of the controllers in her hand, and she twiddled the buttons warily.

"Um, I am not certain-"

"Don't worry," Cyborg interrupted reassuringly as he did something on the screen. "Raven's never played before. You'll have an advantage."

"I have played before, yes," she began frantically, "but I do not believe that will-"

"Here we go!" Beast Boy bellowed, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Go, Star! Get to cover!" Cyborg ordered.

She scanned the screen, her heart pounding erratically as gunfire echoed in the distance. Hesitantly, she began to shift the dials on her controller, and the view from her lower half of the screen slowly began to change

After taking several seconds to get through a doorway, she managed to find shelter inside what appeared to be a large shipping container. She sighed with relief, happy to have found somewhere away from the explosions and gunshots, and spun absent-mindedly around the screen. As the view blurred in circles, she caught movement in the corner of her screen, and stopped to find the source. Another figure was standing in the shipping crate too, and she screamed instinctively, fearing she was about to be shot.

"Geesh, Star, it's just me!" Raven snapped, and the figure bent up and down as if in greeting.

"Oh, Raven!" she sighed, chuckling with relief. "Thank X'hal! I thought I was going to be shot!"

"You should be!" Beast Boy growled, and Starfire gaped at him. "Shoot her!" he ordered Raven, elbowing her arm, and the controller rattled in her hands.

"What? No!" Raven insisted, staring at him incredulously.

"But she's on the other team!" Beast Boy argued.

"She's the only girl I've got in this sea of Titan testosterone," Raven snapped. "We're always on the same team!"

"Oh, for the love of-" Beast Boy reached across, grabbing at Raven's controller.

"What are you- Hey! HEY!" Raven shouted, wrestling with him as he attempted to wrench the controller from her grip, and her character on screen shifted and spun erratically in response.

"Give-me-the-CONTROLLER!" Beast Boy strained, stretching across her as he reached for the controller Raven was holding back above her head.

"No!" she bellowed, wriggling as far away from him as she could on the chair. "You'll kill her!"

"Raven!" Beast Boy snapped. "Give-it-HERE!"

What happened next was both very loud, and very unexpected.

Beast Boy made a wild lunge for the controller in Raven's hand, the momentum throwing the chair off balance. The chair toppled onto its side, sending Raven crashing to the floor, and Beast Boy tumbling after her, small shouts of fear and surprise escaping both of them.

Starfire stood up, unable to see now that the chair had tipped. "Raven! Beast Boy!" she exclaimed, darting toward the chaos. "Are you-" she began, but abruptly cut off as she took in the scene before her.

Raven was flat on her back on the ground, the hand with the controller still stretched out behind her. Beast Boy was on top of her, his hands planted against the ground on either side of her head so his face hovered inches above hers. Neither of them were moving, seemingly trapped in a state of shock as they stared at one another.

Starfire froze, not wanting to so much as breathe in case she disrupted the moment.

"Uh…hi," Beast Boy murmured, and Raven blinked blearily.

"Hey," she said faintly back, her eyes shifting side-to-side as they scanned his.

"WOOHOO!" Cyborg shouted, making all three of them jump. "I got you, BB!"

Starfire twisted around to glare at him, but Cyborg was not paying the slightest bit of attention, biting his lip as he concentrated on the game. By the time she turned back around, Beast Boy was pulling Raven to her feet, and the pair exchanged small smiles before he lifted the chair upright.

She could have murdered Cyborg, she honestly could have.

Raven met her eyes for only a second, but she knew that they would be talking about this later, and Starfire nodded at her friend to show she understood that she should leave it alone for the moment.

Sitting back down in her designated space, the atmosphere returned to normal, except Beast Boy was no longer attempting to make Raven shoot her. Instead, the game devolved into Beast Boy and Cyborg chasing one another around while she and Raven stood at either end of the shipping container and shot at anyone that ran by. Obviously, neither of them had much success, but Raven did manage to kill someone once. It turned out to be Beast Boy, however, which resulted in their team losing points. Beast Boy did not seem to mind very much though, instead congratulating her on figuring out how to aim.

This continued for a couple hours-Raven and Starfire finding new places to hide every time a new game began and the scenery changed-before they grew hungry, and it was unanimously decided to go out for pizza. They all slipped into the T-car, Starfire sitting in the front while Beast Boy and Raven took the back, and headed through the hidden tunnel into the city.

Starfire leaned her head against the window as they burst from the decoy dumpster, watching the concrete buildings passing by in blurs of colorful, illegal paintings. As they got closer to downtown, the sidewalks became more crowded with people, and she watched them walk by, often swinging shopping bags that were no doubt filled with Christmas presents.

The car stopped at a pedestrian crossing, and she found herself looking into one of the shops of coffee that was directly parallel to their position. Sitting at a table by the window was a young couple, talking and laughed as they sipped their beverages. The boy said something that made the girl turn away shyly, and he reached across the table to grab her hand.

Starfire had to look away then as tears began to sting her eyes. These things had always bothered her, even when her and Dick were not involved, but it was so much worse now. Even now that she finally had her Robin, he was never there. Perhaps, she did not really have him at all…

"Star?"

She started as a hand waved in front of her face, turning to find Cyborg staring at her with amused concern.

"Ya kinda spaced out there for a minute," he said, taking a backward glance at Beast Boy and Raven heading into the place of pizza. "Is everything okay?" he asked softly, the concern now more sincere.

She smiled warmly across at him as she shook her head. "I am fine, Cyborg," she assured, but his eyes narrowed. "Perhaps I merely need nourishment," she added, opening the door and stepping out onto the asphalt.

"Well that, I can provide!" Cyborg announced, gesturing for her to go ahead of him through the door, and she giggled as she obliged.

The waiter directed them to their usual cold weather table in the corner, being that it was not warm enough for the balcony to be open any longer. They slid into the rounded booth in their usual order-Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy-except Robin was not there to sit in-between her and Cyborg.

It was perhaps a rather strange time, but Starfire always felt Dick's absence most poignantly during group outings such as this. Everyone else was very good about it, taking time to explain menus and asking the waiter certain questions about the spiciness of food, but they could not quite fill that gap. Although she had never told them that, she suspected they knew; their small, understanding smiles making her feel uncomfortably pitied.

"Can't I at least get it on half!?" Cyborg said angrily, and Starfire was brought back to reality with a jolt.

"No!" Beast Boy snapped, leaning across the table to better glare at his friend. "I don't want your all-meat experience anywhere near my veggie explosion!"

"Why not?" Cyborg challenged. "You worried about cross-contamination?" he mocked.

"YES!" Beast Boy exclaimed in frustration. "Yes, I am!"

Cyborg rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to retort, but Raven intervened.

"Why don't you both get a medium pizza instead of splitting an extra-large?" Raven suggested, placing a calming hand on Beast Boy's forearm, and he leaned back into the booth.

The two bickering boys grumbled their assent, closing their ordering packets as Starfire giggled. Only the truly best of friends argued like that, and she found it most endearing.

After the waiter took their order, it was not long before the pizzas arrived. Beast Boy and Cyborg dug into their respective pizzas, while she and Raven began their usual practice of splitting a medium pepperoni and olives one.

"So, whatdya guys say we go to the video store after this?" Cyborg suggested through a mouthful of pizza, and Raven gave him a disgusted look.

Starfire shifted in her seat slightly to see the clock hanging on one of the restaurant walls.

"Uh, I will need to return home promptly after we have finished our pizza," she said, seeing that it was now 6pm, "but you all are welcome to travel to the store of videos."

"What's the big rush?" Cyborg asked, Raven continuing her scathing looks.

"Robin's s'posed to call tonight," Beast Boy explained, and Starfire turned toward him suspiciously at the somber tone of his voice.

"Ah," Cyborg answered, and she turned toward him, wondering why he too was avoiding her gaze.

"What is it?" she asked, and both Beast Boy and Cyborg took a nervous sip of their drinks. "What is the problem?"

"Really?" Raven muttered, looking between the two boys. "Neither of you are gonna say it?"

They both continued sipping at their drinks, pointedly avoiding looking at anything but the ice floating in the glasses.

"Fine," Raven snapped, rolling her eyes as she set down her piece of pizza. "Ya see, Star," she began warily, "we just- We've noticed that-" She paused, sighing heavily, and Starfire tilted her head in confusion. "We just don't know if you should be being so…accommodating with Robin," she concluded, her violet eyes looking nervously into Starfire's green ones.

"Accommodating?" she repeated. "I-I do not understand."

"Well, every time he says he's going to call, you're always there," Raven continued slowly, "and, sometimes, well, most of the time,"-her eyes fell to the table-"he doesn't."

Starfire's eyes widened as she looked down at her friend uncomfortably pushing her fork around on the table. She then lifted her eyes to Beast Boy before twisting to Cyborg, and both of them also avoided her questioning stare.

"What are you saying?" she asked the group at large, unable to completely keep the rising anger out of her voice.

"We just think," Cyborg started hesitantly, "it might be better if…if maybe you weren't around all the time. That way, Robin…" He faded off, spinning his straw in his drink so the ice clicked around.

"Robin what?" she pressed, her voice shaking slightly.

"Wouldn't take you for granted," Raven finished softly, and Starfire gasped at her.

"Robin does not- Robin would not-" she stammered, but let her voice fade away as she scanned her friends' sad, evasive faces. "You-You are wrong!" she said forcefully, her fists clenching at her sides. "Robin does not take me for granted," she snapped, lifting out of the booth and flying to land on the floor in front of them, "and he _will_ call!" she added over her shoulder as she walked briskly away.

"Star!" she heard Raven call, but she did not turn around.

Pushing through the glass-paneled door of the restaurant, she took flight as soon as she hit the open air, glad for the solitude of the sky. She managed to keep the tears from overwhelming her, but a lump formed in her throat as she headed out over the bay. How could they think such things? Just because Robin was busy did not mean that he was taking her for granted, that he did not care. He was simply very involved with his…

She sighed as she landed on the roof, heading toward the stairwell door.

It truly was very difficult to trust Dick when she did not know what he was doing.

She passed through the living room on her way to her room, checking the time. It was nearly 6:30, but she went to her computer anyway, intending to wait. It was possible Dick could call a little earlier than 7 anyway, and she wanted to be sure she did not miss his call.

She sat down in the chair, shifting it side-to-side as she waited. After a few minutes, she opened one of the games on her computer-something Dick called 'pinball'-and began playing it to pass the time. She was getting quite good at it, considering all the time she spent waiting lately.

As she clicked the arrow keys to flick the paddles, she thought about what her friends had said. She did spend more time waiting around for Dick than talking to him, and it was having a negative effect on her relationship with the Titans as well. She would be unable to join in the viewing of movies or the playing of video games because she would be waiting for a call, and, as much as she hated to admit it, Raven had been right; the calls usually never came. More often than not, she got a message hours later with some vague excuse and another soon-to-be-broken promise. Dick's absence was causing strain in their relationship for sure, but could she allow it to impact her friends too?

After several games of the pinball, periodically closing the window to check if Dick was online, it was 7:30, and her hope was dwindling. She began tapping her fingers against the desk in rhythmic patterns, marking the seconds as 7:30 ticked to 8. At about that time, she heard the other Titans come in, their laughter and playful banter drifting down the hall from the living room.

She turned back to the computer, looking again at the grey icon. Hanging her head, she pouted at the keyboard, feeling the lump rising in her throat again. As her eyes began to burn, she heard the door open behind her, and she fought to keep her face impassive as she turned.

Raven entered the room and, as soon as Starfire saw the look on her face, she knew it was pointless to pretend.

She crumpled in the chair, cupping her face in her hands as she gasped, trying to hold the tears back.

"It's okay," Raven whispered, wrapping her arms around Starfire's shoulders and pulling her close. "It'll be okay."

Starfire leaned forward on her chair, grabbing at Raven's cloak as she slowly began to cry into her stomach.

"He-He has forgotten me, Raven," she said brokenly, shaking her head into her friend's blue bodysuit.

"Don't be ridiculous, Star," Raven answered, stroking her red hair. "Of course he hasn't forgotten about you."

"Yes, he has," she whimpered. "He has grown tired of me. He has realized he made a mistake and he does not like me after all."

"Do you really think that?" Raven said softly, pulling away to kneel down in front of her, brushing her hair aside to look into her eyes. "Do you really believe that's possible?"

Starfire nodded mutely at the watery ground, unable to meet her friend's eyes.

"Look, Star, I don't know what's going on with Robin," Raven began, taking Starfire's hands in her own, "but I know some of what he feels about you, and he most certainly still likes you."

"Then why does he not call?" she cried, lifting her eyes to bore into Raven's.

"I don't know," Raven answered gently, her violet eyes sympathetically sad, "but I do know you shouldn't be spending all night in here crying."

Starfire sniffled loudly, slowly returning Raven's warm smile.

"You are right, Raven," she said, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand, and the girl smiled broadly before standing up.

"Come on," she beckoned, and Starfire stood to follow her as she headed toward the door. "The boys got some war movie, and I am not going through that alone."

Starfire laughed as they left the room, already feeling much lighter as they entered the living room. The smell of popcorn greeted them, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were already seated on the couch.

"Hey, little lady!" Cyborg called, beaming at her as he twisted around. "Saved you the best seat in the house," he added, patting the spot beside him.

She laughed as she joined him, and he placed the bowl of popcorn in her lap as Beast Boy started the movie.

By the time the movie was over and they had taken care of the mess, it was nearly 10pm, and she slid into her room with little hope. Holding her breath as she approached the computer, she stroked her finger across the rectangular pad and the screen returned to life.

Dick had not attempted to call, for it would have told her if she had missed it, but he had, true to form, left her a message.

_Sorry, something came up. I'll make it up to you Tuesday. I'll try and be there around noon. Night_

She sighed as she closed the computer, disappointed but not surprised. As she headed to her dresser, pulling open one of the drawers and removing a pair of pajamas, she realized that it could be worse. At least he had not forgotten about Tuesday.

She got changed quickly, tossing that day's uniform into the laundry receptacle before heading into the bathroom. Washing her face, brushing her teeth, and tying her hair up into a ponytail, she flipped the light off as she exited and settled into bed. Pulling Dick's shirt to her chest, she breathed in the scent, and it somehow made her both angry and sad.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: **__See if you can spot the Halo reference, as well as a reference to Teen Titans episode "Sisters"! I apologize in advance to anyone that thought this was going to go well._

**_Songs: _**_"Heartstopper" - Emiliana Torrini_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

It was the morning of November 6th, and Starfire had hardly slept the night before. No matter how many times she rolled over, telling herself that she really needed to sleep now or she would look tired for Dick tomorrow, the excitement overwhelmed the exhaustion. Even now, sitting on the edge of the roof, her feet were kicking off the side with enthusiasm. It was only 10am, and she had at least two hours to wait, but the ball of tense anticipation was already firmly lodged in her chest as she thought about all the possible activities her and Dick could do.

They could go to the indoor ice skating rink Dick had explained to her, skating until they got too cold and needed to retire to one of the shops of coffee for a warm drink. They could go to one of the movies she had seen a particularly enticing television promotion for, although that would not allow them much opportunity to talk. They could go to that restaurant of sushi the Titans had been invited to once after saving the owner, where they had a particularly delightful sweet mustard sauce that she had put on everything. Or they could do something Dick suggested, considering she had not discussed any of her ideas with him. She had not talked to him at all, actually, aside from the brief messages she had received, but he had said he was coming. At noon. Which was in a little under two hours.

She giggled to herself, bouncing slightly from her perch on the edge of the roof. She was already prepared for his arrival-even bothering to put on some of the pleasant smelling liquid Raven had given her on her neck-and now she merely needed to murder the time. Hopefully some of her friends would be awake by now, because she did not wish to be sitting here waiting for him when he arrived. That would likely reveal her desperation.

Lifting off, she hovered over to the stairwell door with copious amounts of unbridled joy, floating down to the main floor.

"Hey, Star!" Beast Boy greeted from the kitchen, wearing his chef hat as he waved at her with a spatula.

"Greetings, Beast Boy!" she exclaimed, and he jumped. "Is it not the most glorious morning your eyes have ever observed?"

"Uh…" he mumbled, his eyes widening as his eyebrows furrowed in apparent concern for her sanity.

"Tamaranean Valentine's Day," Raven explained from her stool at the counter in front of him. "I told you about this, remember?"

"Oh yea," Beast Boy replied, smiling with understanding. "Cortana or whatever."

"Corgaza," Starfire corrected as she slid onto the stool beside Raven.

"Sure, that," Beast Boy muttered, waving his hand dismissively as he turned back to the pancakes.

Raven rolled her eyes, but Starfire merely giggled.

"So, what are you guys gonna do anyway?" Raven asked, looking at her over the brim of the cup of tea she was sipping.

"I do not know yet," she answered, holding her head in her hands as she propped her elbows up on the counter. "We have not had an opportunity to discuss it."

"Well, do you have any ideas?" Raven pressed, and Starfire turned toward her, beaming.

"Oh, I have a plethora of ideas! I was thinking we could perhaps-"

"On second thought," Raven interjected, raising a hand to stop Starfire's rambling, "I think I'd rather be surprised."

Starfire's face fell momentarily before she smiled, understanding that Raven did not intend to be rude.

"Hey, Star?" Beast Boy asked, turning his back on the stove to look at her. "Do you want chocolate chips in your pancakes? I'm putting some in Raven's."

"You are?" Raven asked, looking at him with curious surprise.

"Well yea," Beast Boy muttered, shrugging. "Last week you said you liked the chocolate chip pancakes at that place we went to for breakfast."

Raven merely stared at him, her eyebrows rising.

"What?" Beast Boy snapped. "I listen."

"No, thank you, Beast Boy," Starfire answered, and he nodded before turning around.

Raven glanced over at her, wordlessly gesturing towards Beast Boy's back as she gave Starfire a pointed look.

She stifled a giggle as she shrugged back, and Raven rolled her eyes before returning to her tea.

"When's he supposed to be getting here?" Raven asked.

"Yea, when? Because I could really use his help with-"

Cyborg cut off as Raven gave him a poisonous glare.

"But we can do that some other day," Cyborg added hastily, appeasing Raven with a broad, fearful smile before turning back to the TV.

Starfire gave Raven a half-hearted look of disapproval, but she was also grateful her friend was trying to keep the day free.

"He said he would be arriving around noon," she answered.

"Well that only gives you"-Raven looked at the clock in the kitchen-"an hour and a half to get ready!" she exclaimed with mock panic.

Starfire sneered at her, and Raven smirked over her tea.

"TA-DA!" Beast Boy announced, grinning broadly as he grandly set a plate of pancakes in front of each of them.

Raven looked down at her brown-speckled ones with trepidation. "These don't have tofu in them do they?"

"No," Beast Boy sputtered, as if the insinuation was ridiculous.

"Soy milk?" Raven pressed, plucking at the pancakes with her fork.

Beast Boy remained silent, his eyes shifting nervously, and Raven glared at him.

"You won't even be able to taste the difference!" he blurted. "Just try it," he requested, looking at them pleadingly.

The two girls exchanged a wary glance before cutting off a portion of pancake and spearing it with their forks. Still watching one another, they slowly lifted the bite to their mouths, silently daring the other to go first. In a wordless instant, they seemed to both agree to go, and shoved the forks into their mouths, tentatively chewing at the pancakes.

"Well?" Beast Boy asked breathlessly, moving to stand in-between them, his gaze shifting furtively.

Starfire chewed thoughtfully, her eyebrows furrowing as the pancakes broke apart in her mouth. She swallowed, smacking her tongue against the top of her mouth as she considered the lingering taste.

"Ya know," Raven started, turning to look at her and Beast Boy, "I really can't taste the difference."

"Nor can I," Starfire confirmed, smiling up at him.

"Awesome!" Beast Boy exclaimed, jumping as he punched into the air.

"Oooo, pancakes!" Cyborg said, excitedly jumping off the couch and rushing into the kitchen, grabbing some from the stack Beast Boy had prepared.

The trio exchanged nervous glances.

"We won't tell him, though," Raven whispered, cupping a hand beside her mouth, and Starfire and Beast Boy chuckled.

"What?" Cyborg asked, noticing their smirks.

"Nothing," Beast Boy answered, shrugging. "You want some syrup?"

Cyborg gave them all a suspicious scan, but took the syrup from Beast Boy and sat down, the pancakes seeming to supplant his need to pry.

"So, what are you guys gonna do today?" Cyborg murmured through a mouthful of pancakes.

"I do not know," she explained again as Raven rolled her eyes at the repetition. "I suppose we shall figure it out when he arrives."

"Cool," Cyborg muttered, taking another bite of pancakes. "Hey, ya know, 'World of Fungus' starts in a bit if you wanna-"

"Glorious!" she cried, grabbing her plate, floating off the stool, and landing cross-legged on the couch. "How do I make it appear?"

The other three Titans laughed at her, and she looked at them curiously.

"What? What have I done?" she asked, assuming she had made another cultural error.

"Nothing," Cyborg answered, getting up and walking around the couch to grab the remote off the table. He hit a few buttons and the opening segment of the show appeared on the screen, causing Starfire to applaud with delight.

"Thank you, Cyborg!" she chirped up at him, to which he gave her a small salute before returning to his pancakes.

Raven joined her after awhile, cringing and making sounds of disgust occasionally when something particularly gruesome appeared, and Starfire chuckled at her discomfort.

For some wondrous reason, there was another episode after that, and then another, and, before she knew it, the clock read noon.

Giggling without restraint or clear cause, she shot into her room, intending to sit in front of the window until she saw the black Batgyro approaching. She pulled the chair from her desk across the room, perching on the edge of it and nearly pressing her face to the glass. Her eyes scanned back-and-forth as she searched for the black speck against the sky.

12:30 came and went, and still she sat there, her eyes paining with focus. Sometime later, Raven came in, bringing her a cup of mustard tea.

"Why don't you call him?" Raven asked, sitting on the edge of the bed behind her.

"He is not on his computer," she explained, having checked several times already, "and he instructed me not to call him on the communicator unless it were an emergency."

"Well, I'm sure he's coming," Raven reassured. "I wouldn't wor-"

"Of course, he is coming!" Starfire snapped, rounding angrily on her friend. "Why would he not be coming!?"

"Calm down, Star," Raven soothed, gazing at her concernedly as she placed her tea in her lap. "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just saying-"

"He will be here," Starfire injected coldly, a lump rising in her throat, and she was not certain who she was trying to convince.

"I know," Raven answered simply, and Starfire felt instantly guilty as her friend smiled tenderly at her.

"I-I apologize," she said faintly, hanging her head as she self-consciously tapped against the cup in her hand. "I am merely-"

"It's okay," Raven interrupted, rising off the bed to place a hand on Starfire's shoulder. "I get it," she added, and they exchanged small smiles before Raven left.

Starfire sipped at her tea, returning to her constant vigil staring at the horizon. The sun sank lower and lower in the sky, and, by the time it reached 3pm, she was pacing anxiously back-and-forth in front of the window.

Her mind raced with a thousand things that could have gone horribly wrong. Perhaps the plane had crashed and he was stranded somewhere along the route. Perhaps he had been injured doing whatever it was that he was doing that she was not privy to. He could be hurt, he could require her assistance, he could be-

She spun around, unable to bear even finishing that thought, and dove for the communicator on her desk. With panicked, shaking fingers she dialed Dick's code and waited, holding her breath as a stinging sensation began to rise in her eyes.

"Starfire?"

A breath exploded from her lips as she saw his face appear, his unmasked face whole and unharmed, albeit a little confused.

"Dick!" she cried, beaming with relief. "You are…" she trailed off as she noticed something in the background.

A crystal chandelier was hanging behind him, the prismatic light flickering through his hair.

"Are you…at home?" she asked, tension rising in her chest once again.

"Yea, where else would I be?" he snapped, and she could almost feel the fissure form across her heart. "Are you okay?" he asked, his tone rather fervent now. "Did something happen?"

She had no idea what to say. She did not even know how to feel. Her mind was reeling, her breathing was shaking, and her heart was pounding in her ears. She shook her head mutely, unable to formulate any more of a response than that.

"Starfire, what's wrong? You don't look-"

"Hey, Dick!" a female voice said, coming through the speakers on the communicator, and he glanced backward in response. "It's your turn!"

Her blood froze in her veins, her heart skipping a beat as she gasped. "Dick, who- who is that?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"It's just Batgirl," he explained, rolling his eyes as he turned back to the screen. "We're playing cards."

Her eyes began to sting again, although for a completely different reason.

He had forgotten. He had completely forgotten. This had been so important to her, the first Corgaza that she actually had someone for, and he had completely forgotten. And, to make the situation even more heartbreakingly horrible, he was spending it with another girl!

"Star?" Dick whispered, his concerned voice sounding very far away. "Seriously, are you okay?"

"Is that the girlfriend?" another male voice said, and she got a brief glimpse of the ceiling before another face replaced Dick's.

"Hey, cutie!" the boy said, winking at her with eyes that were a slightly lighter blue than Dick's, but they otherwise would have appeared to be twins at a cursory glance.

"Give me that!" she heard Dick's signature growl, and there was a flash of hands and marble floor before she was looking at him again. "Sorry," he muttered, shaking his head as someone snickered in the background.

"Who was that?" she asked, the anger rising in her chest coming through slightly in her tone.

"Uh..." he murmured, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably, "my…my brother."

"You have a brother!?" she shrieked, this oversight only fueling the already raging fire licking up her chest and into her throat.

"Not a biological one," Dick explained hurriedly, as if that made it acceptable. "Bruce just took Jason in too a few years back."

Her mouth hung open as she sputtered furiously, unable to decide what to yell at him for first.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know I should have told you," he continued, misinterpreting the source of her obvious fury. "It's just, it happened a long time ago, and I-I just didn't know how to bring it up and-"

"Please, Dick," she interjected, her voice firm even though angry tears were biting at the corners of her eyes. "I believe the expression is 'save it'."

"Kory-" he implored, lowering his voice as he shifted the communicator closer to his face.

"Enjoy your cards," she snapped, interrupting him again before clicking the communicator shut.

She stared at the black-and-white cover, her hands shaking as tears welled up in her eyes. In one, swift explosion of rage, she screamed and threw the communicator, sending it crashing into the opposite wall. There was a loud crack as it impacted, and the communicator fell to the floor in two pieces, broken at the hinge.

Just as quickly as her fury had risen, it ebbed, and she sank to the floor, leaning against the bed as she collapsed into wracking sobs.

"What the-" a small voice said, but Starfire did not look up.

Raven was beside her in a second, her warm hand settling on her shoulder as she knelt to the floor.

"What happened?" she asked earnestly.

"He-He," Starfire stammered, gasping in-between sobs. "He forgot," she blurted into Raven's pitying violet eyes, and a fresh wave of sobs overwhelmed her.

"Oh, Star," Raven sighed, pulling her into her blue robes. "It's okay," she whispered, and Starfire clung to the edges of her cape as she wept. "It's okay…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Dick_**

"Why did you have to do that!?" Dick shouted, twisting around to glare at Jason.

"What?" Jason replied, smirking as he tilted back on his chair beside Babs. "I wanted to see if she was just as cute as I remember."

In an instant, Jason was splayed on the floor, toppling backward from his already precarious position on the chair as Dick caught the birdarang that returned to his hand.

"Geesh, what, do you always have one of those?" Jason whined, looking up at him and his simple jeans and t-shirt.

Truthfully, yes, he did always have several gadgets on him, even in plainclothes, and Jason should learn to as well, but now wasn't the time to discuss it.

"Do not _ever_ tell her that was you," Dick hissed through gritted teeth, pointing the birdarang down at him.

"Why?" Jason asked coyly, rising up on his elbows. "Afraid she'll come over to the dark side?" he added, waggling his eyebrows.

"No," Dick deadpanned, narrowing his eyes, "I'm afraid she'll castrate you."

Jason's eyes widened slightly, and Dick knew he had made his point.

Jason had been Red X very briefly, only in the time between stealing the suit and Bruce adopting him, but Dick did not want to ever explain that to Starfire. It had been hard enough for him to trust Jason once he knew, even though the suit was now safely locked up in the Batcave, and he could imagine Starfire would be even more difficult to convince. Besides, he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. It would be pretty awkward knowing that your boyfriend's brother had hit on you, especially when he'd been a criminal at the time.

"Why did she call?" Babs asked as Dick came back to sit at the table.

"She didn't say," he answered, his eyebrows furrowing as he stared down at his cards. They were forced to bet on Go-Fish because Jason didn't know how to play poker, but he was managing to lose pretty spectacularly at this too. "She seemed pretty upset though…"

"Girls," Jason sighed, shaking his head as if he had any experience.

"Starfire's not like that," Dick snapped, glaring at him over his cards. "She wouldn't just…act that way."

"I dunno," Babs said, setting her cards back down on the table, "maybe you don't know her as well as you think."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he countered, slapping his cards onto the table as well.

"Nothing," she muttered, shrugging slightly. "It's just that sometimes people don't turn out to be who you think they are," she added.

"I've known her for four years," he spat back. "I think I know who she is better than you, Babs."

She dropped her gaze, awkwardly shifting her cards across the table. "I guess," she murmured, and he knew that was the closest to an apology he was going to get.

He pulled his cards back up, scanning the various pictures, but his vision kept blurring as he was distracted by his thoughts. With a groan, he leaned back in his chair, dangling his head over the top.

He must have done something. She couldn't possibly be this mad over him not telling her about Jason; it had to be more than that. He had been kind of a deadbeat about calling her, but he couldn't help but feel it was bigger than that too. She had asked about Babs; was she jealous? No, that wasn't right either. She had looked so sad…

"Master Richard!"

Dick lifted his head up abruptly, a slight dizziness overtaking him for a moment as he focused on Alfred, who had just returned from some early Christmas shopping. That's where Bruce had told him Alfred had gone anyway, and he was indeed carrying bags.

"What are you doing here?" Alfred asked, his forehead wrinkling even more than usual.

"Uh, hi, I'm Dick," he answered with a joking wave. "I live here."

"Yes, I am aware, Master Richard," Alfred replied tiresomely. "I _meant_ what are you doing here right now? I was under the impression you had plans for the day."

"Plans? What are you-"

The words stopped in his throat, his eyes widening, and his heart skipped a beat before pounding three times as fast to make up for the lapse.

"SHIT!" he shouted, the chair clattering to the floor behind him as he leapt up, fumbling with the communicator on his belt. "Shit! Pick up, pick up, pick up!" he rambled furiously, his foot tapping rapidly against the tile as he waited, but all he got was static.

"Oh, Master Richard," Alfred sighed pityingly. "Do not tell me you _forgot_!?"

"I need the plane," Dick called over his shoulder as he ran toward the hallway.

"That and a miracle!" Alfred shouted after him, and he grumbled as he skidded around the corner, racing across the tile.

He was a dead man. He was an absolute dead man. She had reminded him a thousand times, and he had assured her over and over that he would be there, and then he had to go and be the biggest ass on the planet!

Growling at himself, he burst into his room, haphazardly ripping things from hangers and shelves and pushing them into his overnight bag.

"What's going on?" he heard Babs ask, but he didn't pause in his packing, instead heading into the attached bathroom and throwing his supplies on top of his clothes.

"I forgot Valentine's Day!" he explained angrily, although it was not directed at her.

"But it's November. How could you have-"

"Tamaranean Valentine's Day," he added, and she jumped out of the way as he raced past her. "It's called something else, I don't remember, but I forgot it!" he shouted at himself again, throwing his bag on the bed.

"Is it really that important?" she asked as he zipped the bag and threw the strap over his shoulder.

"It was important to her," he snapped, giving her a small glance before heading toward the door.

He left Babs there, having more important things to worry about than if she snooped through his stuff, but he soon heard her footsteps in the hallway behind him, so he didn't have to worry regardless.

"The plane is ready, sir," Alfred said, opening the hidden passage for him as he approached.

"Thanks, Alfred!" he called, not even slowing as he passed through the door and raced down the stairs toward the hangar, trying not to think about what awaited him, and especially trying not to think about the possibility that it would be nothing.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

She lay on her bed, staring up at the darkening ceiling. It was now nearly 5pm, and the burning sadness had long since been replaced by a dull, hopeless ache in her chest.

Raven had come in a few minutes ago, gently offering her some of the Indian takeout they had gone out to retrieve, but she had refused. It was wonderful that her friends cared about her so much, but it was only serving to make her feel worse tonight.

Once Raven had left her room, she had heard the indignant exclamations of the boys drifting in from the living room as Raven no doubt explained to them what had happened. Somehow, it made the whole thing more painful to know they pitied her too.

With a sigh, she rolled over, looking out the window at the lowering sun. It would be setting in a few hours, and then she could finally sleep, leaving this whole day behind her as nothing but a distant nightmare.

A loud shout drifted down the hall, and she twisted slightly toward the door. She could hear the far away sounds of some sort of argument going on in the living room, a cacophony of voices blending together, and she rolled back to the window, wondering what Beast Boy and Cyborg were bickering about now. The arguing quickly subsided, however, and she heard footsteps heading down the hallway toward her.

"I still do not wish to partake in dinner, Raven," she said weakly, keeping her back to the door as she heard it slide open.

"Kory?"

Her eyes widened as her body stiffened, but she still did not turn around.

"Kory?" he sighed again, and she felt the bed depress behind her, a strange crinkling sound accompanying it. "Will you look at me, please?"

She rolled onto her back, lifting her body up by her elbows as she glared at him.

"I got these for you," he said, lifting the orange roses out toward her.

She did not even look at them, her eyes continuing to bore into the whites of his mask.

Dick sighed, lowering the floral arrangement back to the bed. "I'm sorry," he said softly, shaking his head. "I-I just-"

"You forgot," she finished for him, turning her back to him as she lay back down.

"Oh, come on, Kory," he whined, tugging at her shoulder, but she wriggled out from under his hand, remaining firmly facing the other direction.

She felt the pressure lift off the bed as he sighed, and she did not move even though she knew what he was doing. A few footsteps later, he was in front of her, perching on the edge of the bed, but she continued staring past him.

"Can we talk about this, please?" he said softly, and she dropped her gaze to the bed in front of her.

She knew they had to discuss it. They could not simply sit here, her pretending he was not there. That would not solve anything, and she did want to fix it, as angry as she was.

With a sigh, she lifted her face to his, staring challengingly into his now-unmasked face.

"Okay, better," he muttered before his forehead wrinkled. "Are you- Were you crying?" he asked faintly, lifting a hand toward her cheek.

"Of course I was crying!" she snapped, batting his hand away as she sat up, all of the emotions suddenly rising back to the surface. "You forgot about me! You forgot about everything!"

"I didn't forget about you," he argued, shifting closer to her on the bed. "I just…forgot about today…"

She snorted, pulling her legs up in front of her as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

"I'm sorry! I told you I was sorry," he insisted, leaning closer to her.

"It was important, Dick," she said weakly into her knees, looking down at her legs, unable to meet his eyes.

"I know," he admitted sadly. "It was stupid; I know that."

It was silent for some time, her staring into her knees, breathing slowly as she fought to keep the tears silent.

"Kory?" he prodded, sliding even closer, one of his shoulders grazing her knee. "Talk to me. Just…tell me what's wrong."

She let out a long, shuddering breath.

"I am…angry with you," she said simply, still not looking at him.

"I know that," he whispered, tentatively placing a hand on her knee.

"And I am… I am sad," she added, her voice becoming more strained.

"I know, I know," he interjected, unwrapping one of her arms from her legs to take her hand in his, "but it's more than that. There's something else; I can tell. What is it? What's really bothering you?"

She was silent for a long time, searching for the words and trying to prepare herself to say them.

"It is- It is foolish," she muttered, shaking her head as she tried to pull her hand away, but he held fast.

"Not to me," he said firmly, and she looked up into his eyes, blue and determined.

"I- It is-" she stammered, not certain how to phrase this without sounding childish. "Corgaza is meant to be spent with someone special," she began weakly, swallowing the lump in her throat before continuing. "A special female, in your case," she continued, glancing up at him nervously, an anxious knot twisting in her chest, "and you…you were not spending it with me."

"Well, I wasn't spending it with anyone," he offered.

"That is…" she hesitated, looking up at him in nervous flashes, "not entirely true…"

"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "I was just at the Manor. There was nobody there but Jason and-"

She winced as he stopped, watching his mouth form a small circle of understanding.

"But you can't- I mean, you don't really-" he sputtered, looking at her with flustered confusion.

"That is not the point," she sighed, assuming his question. "If it were Valentine's Day and I abandoned you to spend it with Beast Boy, would you not take offense?"

He closed his mouth, swallowing hard as he lowered his eyes to the bed. "Yea, I…I guess I would," he muttered, plucking at the blankets.

"It is just…" she started, pulling her hand away from his as she let her legs fall to the side, tucking her feet beneath her, "you spend so much time there with..._them._ More time than you spend anywhere else. And I just- I cannot help but feel…" Her voice faded away as she dropped her gaze, twisting her hair around her fingers.

"What?" he prodded after a moment.

"I-I feel"-she sighed heavily, lifting her eyes to his-"…replaced."

"What!?" he hissed, grabbing both her hands in his and resting them on her lap. "Kory, how could you even think that? I mean, I know I'm gone a lot, but you know- You must know-"

She looked up at him, hesitant and questioning, and he sighed heavily.

"Kory," he began, cupping her cheek with one hand, "I'm sorry if I made you think that, but you know you could never be replaced." He paused, tilting her head up by her chin as he smiled. "No one could ever take your place."

In spite of herself, she smiled into his blue eyes. "You do know," she said softly, placing her hand over his against her chin, "there will come a day when that does not work."

"But not today?" he whispered, lowering their intertwined hands to rest on her thighs.

"Not today," she confirmed, and he smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. "Ah," she interjected, pulling away from him slightly, and he blinked with confusion. "I am still angry with you," she said, narrowing her eyes into his, which stared back at her from centimeters away.

"I know," he whispered, tucking her hair behind her ears and making her shiver in response, "and I'll do better."

She continued to glare at him skeptically.

"I promise," he added, and she warily allowed him to pull her in.

His lips brushed against hers, soft and hesitant, and she let her eyes droop closed as she returned the kiss.

"So," he said against her lips as they parted, "what do you wanna do?"

"I do not know," she answered, pulling further away. "It is rather late now…" she added faintly, glancing out the window at the sparkling bay.

"It's not that late," Dick argued, no doubt for his own, guilty reasons. "We could go out for dinner, considering you said you hadn't eaten."

Now that the problem was, momentarily at least, alleviated, her stomach betrayed her with a low rumble.

"I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled, and she blushed furiously as she wrapped her arms around her torso, trying to stifle the sound.

"Come on," he beckoned, rising off the bed and replacing his mask. "We can go to that sushi place you like."

She smiled at that, wondering-as she had on several occasions-if Dick could read her mind. She stood up and made to follow him, but stopped as he approached the door.

"What?" he asked, looking at her curiously as she scanned him.

"Do you always remain in your uniform at the Manor?" she asked, looking at the full ensemble.

He tilted his head at her before looking down at himself, and then nodded in understanding. "Oh! No, I changed in the plane on the way here."

Her eyes widened as she considered that. "You are not concerned with people…seeing?" she asked, her voice dropping shyly at the last word.

"Kory," he chuckled, "the only thing seeing me up there are birds, and they can gawk all they want."

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, but she quickly let her anger slip away as she realized she was getting jealous of birds.

"How are we to get into the restaurant?" she asked as they entered the hallway. "They are always so busy, and it is approaching the time of dinner."

"I already got a reservation," he answered with a small shrug, and she looked over at him in surprise. "I thought I should be prepared, just in case you didn't break up with me."

She stopped dead, her eyes widening as she placed a hand against her chest. "You-You thought I would…do the breaking up with you?"

"Well…yea," he muttered, walking back to meet her where she had frozen. "I mean, I forgot about our date."

"You thought I would do the breaking up with you for that?" she whispered, slightly hurt by the assumption.

"I considered it, yea," he said, obviously still confused. "Why, what does it ma-"

The rest of the word vibrated against her lips as she swept over to him, placing a hand on the back of his neck and pulling him into a kiss. She could feel the shock wear off as he slowly returned it, his lips moving against hers in slow, confused motions.

Abruptly, she pulled away, staring intently where she knew his eyes were.

"Robin, it would take much more than that for me to do the breaking up with you," she said sternly, hoping he would understand just how serious she was.

"It-It would?" he stammered breathily.

"Yes," she answered, smiling as she stroked a thumb across his cheek. "But do not think that means you can forget more dates," she added curtly, pulling away to walk past him toward the living room door.

"Duly noted," he muttered, and she laughed as he caught up with her, wrapping an arm around her waist as they headed through the door.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**__ This chapter is mostly just humor and fluff coming off that previous rather depressing one, so enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Her first, bleary thought was that she was cold, or at least colder than she should be, and she stretched out her fingers, searching for the missing warmth. Her second thought, as her hands grasped nothing but air, was that there was an unfamiliar sound in her room.

Accepting the fact that she was going to have to move, she opened her eyes as she lifted her head, blinking blearily in the dim light.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," a familiar voice whispered, and she twisted toward the sound. "I just had to finish this paper," he said, smiling from her desk, where he had evidently brought in his computer.

"Paper?" she repeated, wondering if she was supposed to remember what he was referring to and simply could not due to fatigue.

"Yea, for class," he grumbled, turning back to the computer and making another few, short clicks before rising and heading toward her.

"Class?" she repeated again, now feeling for certain there was some conversation she had forgotten.

"Mhmm," he mumbled, crawling up the bed and collapsing beside her. "For my philosophy class. It's some stupid general requirement thing," he muttered, rolling onto his back to stare up at the ceiling.

She honestly thought she may still be dreaming, considering none of this was making any sense.

"Dick, I-I do not understand," she said weakly, slightly embarrassed to be so confused. "Why are you in classes?"

He turned his head toward her, a confused expression on his face as well, but he quickly laughed and twisted up on an elbow to face her.

"Oh, that's right, I didn't tell you," he chuckled. "I've been keeping it a secret from everyone else, but for some reason I thought I'd told you."

"Told me what?" she prodded when he did not continue.

"I'm a college man now," he answered with a smirk. "I got into Gotham University awhile back. I'm just taking some online courses right now, but-"

"Oh, Dick!" she exclaimed, nearly rolling on top of him as she tackled him with a hug. "That is wonderful news! I am so proud of you!"

"It's not that big of a deal, Kory," he chuckled, blushing slightly as his hand brushed against the back of her head. "They kinda had to let me in. There's an entire building named after my father."

"Nonsense," she snapped, pulling away from him just far enough to glare into his eyes. "You are incredibly intelligent, Dick. I am sure you were admitted on your merits."

He smiled up at her, shaking his head slightly. "Well, fine," he muttered. "But, if I've got the brains in this pair, then you've definitely got the looks."

She laughed as he flipped them, pinning her to the bed under his body, and she tried to minimize her giggling as he lowered his lips to hers. She lifted her hand to his hair, twisting it between her fingers as she gripped.

His arm snaked around her waist in response, sliding between the mattress and her green pajamas.

She lifted the hand that was not in his hair to his side, recoiling momentarily as she realized his t-shirt had shifted upward and her fingers were brushing bare skin. This was quickly forgotten, however, as Dick's tongue flicked against her bottom lip. Her heart fluttered even more than usual, but it was more out of anxiety than anything else. She was not familiar with this variety of kissing, and she did not know how it was customary to respond.

Of course, all of these thoughts flashed through her mind in a mere fraction of a second before he did it again, and then she merely reacted instinctively and opened her mouth slightly more. His tongue slipped between her lips, flicking against the tip of hers, and she would have gasped if her mouth not been otherwise occupied.

Hesitantly, hoping she was not doing it wrong, she slid her tongue back against his, and the hand that was not on her waist stroked up her neck in response, the fingers just grazing her hair. She shivered, her hand sliding across his back as she stretched her body up towards him. Her fingers stroked the lines of the muscles on his back as she pressed her chest to his, and they parted briefly for air before he lowered himself further onto her body. She moved one of her legs to the side to allow room for his knees, bending so her green pajama pants slid against his calf.

Suddenly, a strange beeping sound filled the room, and she had just enough time to shift her eyes in its direction before she was pulled roughly to the side, tumbling off the bed and onto the floor. After taking a few seconds for her brain to catch up, she realized she and Dick were on the floor, his knees on either side of her waist as he pinned her to the ground. One hand was pressed over her mouth, and she glared at him for that, wriggling slightly, but he lifted a finger to his mouth to signal her to be quiet, and she begrudgingly nodded.

"Dick?" a gruff, male voice said, and her eyes widened as Dick released the hand on her mouth.

"Bruce is on the video call," he whispered, bending down to her ear. "I forgot I had it set to auto-answer for him after a few seconds."

She clapped her own hand to her mouth at that, shaking beneath him as she silently giggled.

He sneered down at her, shifting off to the side.

"Dick?" Bruce called again, sounding considerably irritated.

Dick crawled toward the bathroom, and her body curled as she fought furiously not to laugh, shaking with the effort.

"Dick!?"

"Oh, hey, Bruce," Dick answered, stepping out of the bathroom as if he had been in there all along, and she bit her lip hard as he gave her a small glance on his way by. "Sorry, I was in my room."

"And you left your computer in…here?" Bruce asked, and Starfire heard her chair squeak as Dick sat down in it.

"Yea, well I had some work I wanted to get done this morning," Dick answered simply, the shrug evident in his tone.

"But why were you in here?" Bruce pressed, and she bit at the corner of one of her nails with an embarrassed smile.

"I- Uh- Well-" Dick stammered, and she could practically hear him rubbing the back of his neck.

"You slept there?!" Bruce snarled, and, even though he was not yelling at her, she recoiled slightly.

Now she understood where Dick got it from.

"She falls asleep sometimes and I-I don't wanna move her…"

She smiled as Dick trailed off, hoping to remember to tell him how sweet that was later.

"Dick, I hope you're being responsible about this," Bruce replied softly, and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Responsible?" Dick repeated, obviously just as confused as she was. "What are you talking about?"

"Protection," Bruce added, and Dick made an indescribable sound of panicked disgust.

"Oh, god!" he blurted, and she pressed her lips together forcefully as a snort nearly escaped her.

"Just because she's an alien doesn't mean-"

"AH! STOP! NO!" Dick exclaimed, his voice high-pitched and strangled, and she clutched at her sides. "That's not- We're not- No!"

"You're not…"

"No," Dick interjected firmly, and Starfire smiled as she shook her head at the side of the bed.

"Oh… Well, good," Bruce snapped, and she heard Dick sigh. "But, when you do-"

"Yea, yea, I get it," Dick interrupted frantically, and a faint puff of breath escaped her as she grinned.

"Okay," Bruce acknowledged simply. "When are you coming back?"

"Tomorrow," Dick replied.

"Why not today?" Bruce asked, and she glared through the bed toward the desk.

"Because I'm coming back tomorrow," he answered stonily, and Starfire nodded in solidarity.

"But you know we have to work on the-"

"I'll see ya tomorrow," Dick muttered hurriedly, and she heard a small click.

Dick sighed heavily into the silence. "I don't suppose you went temporarily deaf for the past five minutes?" he asked, and she chanced a glance around the bed to see him staring down at her, looking rather sickly.

She laughed, floating up off the floor and landing behind him, wrapping her arms around him as she leaned over the chair.

"No," she chuckled into his neck, and he lifted a hand to her forearm as she folded them across his chest.

"Yea, I figured," he sighed morosely, and she giggled again.

They stayed there for a moment, her listening to his pulse pound against the side of his neck as she continued hugging him from behind.

"Dick?" she said softly after awhile. "Maybe… Do you think we should, perhaps…talk about it?"

"What!?" he squeaked, jolting up out of her arms.

"Dick," she eased cautiously, "calm down."

"Why-Why would we need to talk about that?" he rambled, his eyes looking everywhere but at her.

"I just- Well, Bruce did ask and we-we have not really…discussed it, so I-I just thought-"

"Okay, okay," he interjected, breathing deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "You're…you're right," he sighed. "We should talk about it."

She smiled and nodded, but he held a hand out to stop her as she approached.

"No, can you…stay over there?" he asked, looking at her out of the tops of his eyes. "It's just…this is awkward enough as it is."

She smiled kindly and nodded, folding her hands in front of her. She would never understand the human uneasiness with discussing such things. They were all so careful about their emotions, their thoughts, and anything to do with intimacy. It was a fear she did not share, but she would do her best to respect it.

"Okay, so how…how would that work with…you being an alien and-and such?" he stammered, his hands gesticulating in awkward swooping and jabbing motions in front of him as he stared at the floor.

Only because he was not looking, she shook her head and smiled at his nervousness.

"It is exceptionally unlikely that we could repro-"

"Ah!" he interjected, his hands batting toward her as if he could swat the word away.

"-without some form of assistance," she finished, rolling her eyes as she skipped the offending word.

"You mean like…medical?" he asked, finally looking at her, although only for a moment.

She nodded. "And, even then, it would likely take quite some time," she added, wondering if perhaps she was pushing this too far by, even in a vague sense, referencing children.

"Oh… Well, still, I-I'd feel better if…if…"

"We used the protection," she finished, and he physically winced. "I assumed as much," she added, giving him a small smile before, assuming that covered all relevant points, walking toward the bathroom.

"Uh, Kory?" he said weakly, and she stopped as she neared the doorway. "Ya know, um…it's actually- See, it'd be better if- Well, there's this-"

"Dick," she interrupted, his awkwardness becoming less endearing now, "you are referring to 'the pill', correct?"

His eyes widened as his head tilted at her. "How do you-"

"Raven and I already discussed it," she dismissed with a wave of her hand as she entered the bathroom, plucking her toothbrush from beside the sink.

"Wait, you talked about this with Raven?" he hissed, giving her a scandalized glare in the mirror. "Kory, this is kind of…private!"

"I did not talk about _you_," she insisted, turning to face him properly, giving up on brushing her teeth for the moment. "I did not know about earthen forms of contraception. I merely asked her what females here use."

"Well, you-you-" he stammered, his face contorting as his mind no doubt worked furiously to come up with something else she could have done.

"I apologize if me discussing this with Raven makes you uncomfortable," she said, anticipating the criticism. "If it eases your mind at all, I do not believe there will be a need to seek her guidance on anything else regarding this."

"Uh…well, okay," he murmured, still looking rather confused.

She smiled, turning back to the sink to finally brush her teeth.

Dick left for awhile to get changed in his room, and she took the opportunity to shower.

As she was sliding her arm bands into place, she heard a small knock on the locked door between her and Dick's room, and she leaned across to open it.

Dick sidled inside in full Robin attire, only missing the mask, and leaned against the counter as he watched her.

"So, what do you wanna do today?" he asked, smiling across at her.

"I am not sure," she murmured thoughtfully. "I feel as if, perhaps, it would be best if we stayed here. Although no one ever speaks of it, I do believe they miss having you around. It may be nice to have simply a normal day, seeing as the opportunities are so rare…" She faded off, looking down at the counter as her eyebrows furrowed slightly with concern.

"Hey," he said softly, stroking down her arm with his gloved fingers as he prompted her to turn toward him. "I told you; I'm gonna do better. I'll be here more," he assured, bumping her lightly under the chin. "Promise," he added with a smile.

Smiling back, she nodded, grazing the hand beneath her chin with a few fingers before turning back to mirror to conclude brushing her hair.

"Still, it might be nice to just stay in," Dick sighed, leaning back into the counter beside her. "You don't mind if I hang out with the guys a bit?"

"Not at all," she confirmed. "I am growing rather tired of you anyway," she added with a sigh, placing the brush down as she slid out the door into her room.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, following her as she giggled toward Silkie, who was just showing signs of waking from his pillow in the corner.

Picking the small creature up, she held him to her chest, beaming down at him as he cooed and nuzzled against her.

"He kept me up half the night," Dick grumbled as he settled his mask on his face.

She chuckled, scratching at the top of Silkie's head. "Well, he misses you," she excused.

Dick reached across her, giving Silkie a small pat on the head, and the larva squealed in delight.

"I…don't mind him all that much either," he muttered hurriedly, and she rolled her eyes.

Carrying Silkie in her arms, she followed Dick out of her door, and Silkie began wriggling in her arms as soon as they entered the living room. As she released him, he hurried over to the kitchen stools, where Beast Boy and Raven were talking over breakfast.

"There's my favorite little grub!" Beast Boy called, scooping Silkie up off the floor and placing him in his lap. "You want some pancakes?" he asked, ripping off a piece and offering it to the pet.

"You people," Raven grumbled, shaking her head disapprovingly as Silkie gratefully devoured the treat. "And you wonder why he begs all the time."

"I don't wonder," Beast Boy shrugged. "It's 'cause I feed him!"

Starfire and Dick laughed as they approached, splitting so she sat next to Raven and he sat beside Beast Boy.

"So, what's on the agenda for the day?" Beast Boy asked, lifting his hands to allow Silkie to crawl from his lap to Raven's.

"Nothing," Dick answered. "Thought we'd just hang around here for the day. Maybe try that new video game you mentioned."

"I dunno, I'm not sure you can handle it," Beast Boy warned jokingly. "You don't really like to lose and-"

"How would you know?" Dick asked, leaning across the counter toward his friend. "I could handle losing just fine. You just wouldn't know because…well, I never lose," he added with a smirk.

"Oh, it's on!" Beast Boy exclaimed, jumping up from the stool and racing toward the couch, Dick following close behind.

"Boys," Raven muttered, shaking her head as she stroked a purring Silkie, who was curled up quite contentedly in her lap.

"I find them rather humorous," Starfire countered, smiling distractedly at the back of Dick's head.

"Of course you do," Raven said, and Starfire looked to find the girl raising her eyebrows at her, evidently having caught her staring.

Starfire smiled at her friend, feeling the blush rise up her cheeks, but did not object.

"So what do you wish to do today, Raven?" she asked, watching as Silkie rolled over for Raven to stroke his stomach.

"What do you mean?" Raven replied.

"Well, it appears the boys will be occupied with their own activities," she explained, gesturing toward the rather boisterous couch, "so perhaps we could do something as well."

"Yea, that sounds good," Raven mused, her eyebrows furrowing in thought as she glanced down at Silkie, who looked nearly asleep. "Oh, I know what we could do," she said softly, her eyes shifting nervously side-to-side. "We could watch a movie in my room. There's one I've kind of wanted to see."

"That sounds lovely," Starfire appraised, leaning in, "but…why are we doing the whispering?"

"It's… Well, it's kind of a girly movie," Raven mumbled to her knees.

Starfire grinned, laughing lightly. "Then I am even more excited!"

Raven rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Well, alright," Raven said, handing Silkie to Starfire as she rose from the stool. "Let's go then."

"Wait!" Starfire called as she rounded the counter into the kitchen, and Raven stopped and followed her. "We need the snacks!" she added, and Raven laughed.

"Of course," Raven chuckled. "How silly of me."

They gathered up some popcorn and some of the sweet, gummy candies before heading back toward the hallway.

"Hey there, ladies!" Cyborg greeted, walking into the door just ahead of them. "Where ya headed with half the kitchen?"

"We are going to Raven's room to watch the movies!" she chirped excitedly, and Cyborg chuckled.

"Well alright!" he approved with a nod, moving to the side to allow them to pass.

"Hey, Cy!" Beast Boy called. "Get over here! I'm totally schooling Robin!"

"You are not!" Dick retorted angrily, and Starfire and Raven laughed as Cyborg raced across the room.

"Boys," they said in unison, and then dissolved into giggles as they continued toward Raven's room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Dick_**

They had been playing video games for hours now, and he was finally getting back on top. He had been a little out of practice, what with spending all his time at the Manor training or arguing with Bruce, but he had picked it up pretty quickly. It probably helped that his reactions were so much faster than the other two, so he always managed to get his shots off first.

"Oh, come on!" Beast Boy shouted, throwing himself back on the couch as his character collapsed to the ground. "I totally saw you first!"

"Really?" Dick taunted. "Well maybe next time you'll manage to shoot first too."

Cyborg laughed loudly, his fingers flying across the controller. "Cocky little bas- HEY!" He lifted one hand off the controller to point at the screen. "There's no way! I was using a shotgun! I SHOT YOU POINT-BLANK!"

"Apparently not," Dick sang, chuckling as he jumped his character out of a window, racing down an alley toward one of Beast Boy's usual hiding spots.

Just then, however, the game ended, and he leaned back into the couch with a contended sigh.

"Wanna go again?" he asked, glancing between Beast Boy and Cyborg's grave faces.

"Naw, I think I'll go work on the T-car," Cyborg grumbled, setting the controller down on the table in front of him.

"I'll help," Beast Boy added hurriedly, racing off after Cyborg.

"CHICKENS!" Dick called over the back of the couch, and Beast Boy waggled his tongue at him before they disappeared into the stairwell.

He rolled his eyes as he shut down the gaming system and turned off the TV. Figuring he might as well do something productive too, and considering Starfire and Raven had not yet surfaced from their movie, he headed downstairs himself. He pushed open the door to the gym, heading over to his locker to grab the shorts and t-shirt he kept in there. He quickly got changed in the locker room, cracking his knuckles as he approached the weights.

It wasn't that he didn't get plenty of time to workout at the Manor-in fact, that was just about all he did-but it was nice to be able to do it without Bruce watching him. Every time he made even the smallest mistake, Bruce would bark at him about how leaving that opening could have somehow gotten him killed. It wasn't exactly relaxing.

He lifted his weights for quite some time before moving on to the punching bag, grabbing the bandages from his locker and wrapping his hands.

The punching bag had always been his favorite. If he wasn't so vigorous in his workouts, he figured he'd probably be a lot more like Jason. This way, however, he could take out all of his aggression on the swinging target instead of criminals, although he did a fair bit of imagining on occasion. It was rather satisfying imagining Slade's face on a punching bag, or at least it had been, but that was long behind him now. And, speaking of things that were behind him…

"Ya know you could just come in," he said, grabbing the punching bag with his hands to still it before turning around.

Starfire giggled softly as she pushed off the doorway and slid into the room. "I suppose I am merely accustomed to needing to be the sneaky," she said, smiling at him as she approached.

"You were never sneaky," he muttered, shaking his head slightly as he smirked.

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head curiously as she stopped a few feet away.

"I knew you were there," he explained, and her eyes widened. "You didn't notice I always added more weight after you showed up?"

"I- Well- I did not watch that often!" she blurted, blushing furiously.

"Uh-huh, sure," he muttered, chuckling as he headed toward the benches along the wall, unwrapping his hands as he went.

"Why did you never say anything?" she asked faintly, sitting down beside him, albeit a couple feet away.

"Didn't seem like you wanted me to know," he replied with a shrug, looking across at her as he patted his forehead with a towel he plucked from his locker.

"I…I am sorry," she said softly, smiling embarrassedly as she twiddled her thumbs in her lap.

"Don't apologize," he dismissed with a chuckle. "I mean, it's not like I didn't watch you too sometimes."

"You did!?" she cried, and his throat tightened as he looked into her sparkling eyes. "When?"

"Just…sometimes," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down at his knees.

"No, tell me!" she insisted, shifting closer, her hands clasped together against her chest as she begged.

He groaned, twisting his head away from her.

"Pleeeeease?" she whined, placing a hand on his thigh, and his heart leapt.

"Ugh, fine!" he grumbled, unable to deny her when she used that tone –and he suspected she knew it. "I just…I dunno…watched you…talking with Raven and…watching 'World of Fungus' and…stuff," he mumbled down to his lap, twisting the towel between his hands.

"Oh, Robin!" she squealed, and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "That is perhaps the sweetest thing I have ever-"

"Okay, okay," he interrupted, sliding out of her arms, not wanting her to be quite that close before he showered. "I-I should go."

She gave him a small, knowing smile before nodding and rising from the bench.

"Alright, I shall temporarily allow you to escape to the shower," she said coyly as she headed out the door, and he shook his head after her.

Chuckling to himself, he headed into the boys locker room, wondering just how much detail she would force out of him later.

It was strange to Dick just how much had changed since he'd started dating Kory. Dating. Even that was a new concept, let alone dating _Starfire_. Honestly, the hardest thing to believe was how simple it was. All his fears about the team falling apart and him losing his head had been completely unfounded, and-although he'd probably never tell her this-he truly regretted waiting as long as he had. Looking back now, it just seemed like such a waste.

Stepping into the hot water, he thought about what it would have been like if they hadn't taken so long to get here. Would it be any different now? Would it have even worked back then? He had never been one to buy into that whole 'Everything happens for a reason' mentality, but maybe it was true in this case. Of course, there was always the possibility that the reason was that he was emotionally handicapped.

After a quick rinse-off, he stepped out, drying himself off well enough to not stick as he pulled on his uniform. Gathering up the dirty gym clothes, he headed out of the locker room and into the stairwell, taking the stairs two at a time up to the living room. When he got there, the room was empty, and he assumed Kory was either with Raven or waiting to pester him with more questions.

Sure enough, as the door slid open to his room, she was lying across the bed, her feet kicked up in the air behind her as she stroked Silkie.

"Hey," he mumbled in greeting, walking across the room to toss the dirty clothes into his hamper.

"Hello!" she chirped back, beaming at him, and his stomach twisted uncomfortably. "So," she started, moving into a cross-legged position as she stared at him eagerly, "tell me more about this watching you did of me."

He groaned, peeling off his mask as he approached the foot of the bed. "Do we have to?" he whined.

"Yes," she answered firmly, her face twisting into a half-hearted scowl.

He merely chuckled at her attempt to look threatening, however, and she glared at him for real at that.

"Okay, fine," he conceded, stretching out on the bed beside her as he looked up into her face. "What do you want to know?"

As she launched into a thousand questions, growing more excited with every one, he realized what had changed the most since they'd started dating was him. Here he was, actually talking about something close to feelings and not having a panic attack. He still wasn't a wordsmith, so he'd probably never be able to find a way to tell her without sounding like a moron, but he knew that Kory was changing him-already had changed him-and, as far as he could tell, it was all for the better.

Just as the thought seized him, he sat up and pulled her into a kiss, stopping whatever question of hers he hadn't been listening to.

"What was the purpose of that?" she whispered dazedly against his lips as they parted.

"No reason," he mumbled back, and she smiled softly before leaning in again.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note:**__ And so begins the foreshadowing!_

_I'm going to finish this one way or another (sequels to sequels and all that good stuff), but, if I can whine for a second, I don't really feel like anyone is reading this. I'm not going to hold you hostage like some authors do with their "10 reviews before I update!" because those people should really be punched in the face in my opinion, but I'm just saying it would mean a lot to me if more of you dropped a review or a PM or an ask on Tumblr or something just to let me know you were reading it and you wanted it to keep going. Okay, now on to the main event!_

**_No songs this chapter_**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

She sat in her room staring at the clock, wondering how a minute could feel so long. It seemed like an eternity before the 6:57 changed to 6:58, but her heart leapt as the glowing, red numbers shifted. Only two more minutes until Dick called.

To his credit, he had been much better about that lately. It had been a couple weeks since he had forgotten Corgaza, and he had called her every time he said he would. That had only been a handful of times, of course, but she could not blame him for being busy. He was doing the best he could.

A couple minutes early, the computer rang, and she bolted off the bed and leapt into the chair, catching herself on the desk as she threatened to topple over.

"Dick!" she exclaimed as his face appeared, and he chuckled at her as she beamed.

"You find me far too exciting," he said, shaking his head slightly.

"How are you? How is Alfred? What have you been-" She stopped as she noticed something on his face, a small, red slit at the corner of his lip. "What happened!?" she blurted, her eyes widening at the injury.

"What? Oh, this?" he asked, grazing a finger across the cut. "It's nothing. I've had worse."

"Worse!?" she repeated, shocked and offended that she was not informed.

"Not recently," he amended hastily. "I'm just saying, Gotham is…very different from Jump."

She sighed heavily, shaking her head as she twisted her fingers into her forehead. "I do not like this, Dick. I do not like you being there. I do not know what you are doing or what is happening and I worry all the time and I just…" she trailed off with another, mournful sigh, looking up into his eyes pleadingly. "Can you not tell me something?"

"Kory," he hissed, looking around behind him warily, "you know I-"

"Fine," she interjected bitterly, but did not wish for one of their few interactions to turn into an argument. "Are you still planning on returning tomorrow?" she changed the subject.

"Yea, I'll leave here around noon," he answered, leaning back in his chair.

"Are you certain no one is offended that you are spending the day of giving thanks here?" she asked once again.

Tomorrow would be the day of the Earth holiday of feasting, and, in spite of the many of them she had been here for, she still did not entirely understand the purpose. Something about people that arrived in the month of May with flowers for the native peoples of Pennsylvania.

"Naw, they don't mind," Dick reassured, batting his hand through the air. "Thanksgiving isn't a big deal anyway. Not like Christmas."

"You will be spending Christmas there?" she said, trying not to betray her disappointment, but she could feel her face falling.

"Well, part of it… I dunno. I need to talk to you about that tomorrow," he muttered, and she narrowed her eyes at his sudden uneasiness.

"Why not now?" she inquired suspiciously.

"I just gotta check on something first," he explained, and she released her glare.

There was some kind of commotion in the background-a loud bang followed by a yelp-, and Dick twisted around in his chair toward it.

"Shoot, I have to go," he muttered hurriedly, rising from his chair. "I think Jason broke the kitchen."

She chuckled lightly into her hand. "Alright. I shall see you tomorrow."

"Yea," he assured, flashing her a dazzling smile. "See ya." And, with that and a small click, he was gone.

She sighed, spinning around in her chair. At least she had gotten to speak with him, however briefly, and he would be there tomorrow. Figuring she might as well do something productive in the hours before she could sleep, she stood up and headed toward the door, wondering if Beast Boy and Cyborg would accept her help in their preparations for the holiday feast.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Dick_**

"What the hell did you do!?" Dick exclaimed as he entered the kitchen, which was inexplicably splattered in a dripping, red substance.

"Well, Alfred got a jar of cranberry sauce," Jason explained from where he was standing at the epicenter of the carnage, his eyes wide, "and he told me to put it in the pantry, so I-"

"Threw it on the floor?" he mocked, gingerly stepping around the sticky globs toward the paper towels on the counter.

"No!" Jason snapped, finally coming out of his shell-shocked state. "It just…slipped."

"And you jump around on rooftops all night," Dick muttered, tossing him the roll of paper towel. "How _do_ you not kill yourself?"

"Ha ha," Jason droned sarcastically as he dropped to the floor and began attempting to clean up the mess, but he appeared to only be moving it around.

"Master Jason, I wonder if you could- Oh… Oh my…"

Alfred stood in the doorway, his stoic expression faltering for only a moment, and Dick felt a strange rush of pride for his brother. It was not every day that someone surprised Alfred.

"I'm sorry, Alfred," Jason muttered hastily, wiping even faster now, but still to no avail. "It just slipped right out of my hands."

"That is quite alright, Master Jason," Alfred said, calm once more, "but, if you don't mind, I think it is best you leave the cleaning to me."

"But, I-I dropped it. Shouldn't I-"

"Really, Master Jason," Alfred interjected, raising a hand to halt his protests. "I would prefer to take care of it myself."

Dick chuckled as he skirted past his struggling brother, dodging cranberry goop until he was standing beside Alfred.

"Um…well, alright. If you say so," Jason mumbled, leaving his damp paper towel on the floor as he stood, stepping and leaping awkwardly until he got to the door.

"Hey, Alfred?" Dick asked as Jason left. "Do you know where Bruce is?"

"Master Bruce is in the study, I believe," Alfred sighed, shaking his head as he surveyed the mess.

"Ya sure you don't need a hand?" Dick asked softly, not wanting to offend Jason if he was still within earshot.

"No, I can manage. And, besides," Alfred said, a slight smile playing on his lips, "neither you nor Master Jason are particularly adept at housework."

"Hey, I vacuum!" he argued as Alfred began navigating the maze toward the broom closet across the kitchen.

"Only because it is easier than picking up the individual crumbs," Alfred retorted, shooting a small smile over his shoulder.

Dick opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again, realizing his defeat. With a small grunt and a wave in the butler's direction, he left the kitchen, his footsteps echoing down the long, marble hallway.

Passing several elaborate sculptures and ugly, expensive paintings, he came to the study, where he could see Bruce's silhouette against the window from where he sat at his desk. He knocked twice on the open, wooden doors, more for formality's sake than anything, and Bruce grunted in admittance.

"What are all those?" Dick asked, gesturing to the papers strewn across the desk as he approached.

"Half expense reports," Bruce replied gruffly, gesturing to the vague pile to his left, "and half crime reports," he added, waving over the pile on the right.

"Which ones are worse?" Dick quipped, and Bruce responded with a low chuckle as he leaned back in his leather chair, rubbing his eyes.

"I honestly don't know," he sighed. "Seems like there's something brewing in District 7. We're gonna have to keep up more of a presence there."

"What kind of something?" Dick asked, leaning over the top of the desk to read the papers upside-down.

"Nothing big yet," Bruce explained, grabbing a few of the sheets on top and twisting them for Dick to see. "Just various thefts, but they're all from pretty high-tech companies and labs. Not just anybody breaks into those."

"You think they're connected?" he presumed, scanning the reports for the lists of what was stolen.

"I don't know, too early to tell. But I think we should keep an eye on it," Bruce said sternly, and Dick nodded in agreement. "So," he added, leaning back into his chair once again, "what did you come in here to talk to me about? Unless you wanna help me with my taxes."

"How much ya payin'?" Dick jested, but Bruce merely glowered. "I wanted to talk about Christmas," he said, knowing joke-time was over when Bruce put on the Batman face.

"Okay," Bruce said, one eyebrow rising quizzically. "What about it?"

"Well…I was wondering if it would be alright if I split it up. Like, I'd be here for a few days before Christmas and Christmas morning, but then leave early afternoon to go back to the Tower," he explained, and Bruce's eyes narrowed.

"I don't care if you leave early," he said. "You know it's just Alfred that's all crazy about family being here at Christmas, and I'm sure he'd be fine so long as you were here in the morning."

"That's not exactly my question," Dick continued, looking across at his father hesitantly.

"Okaaaay," Bruce stressed, obviously confused. "Then what is?"

"I-I was wondering if…if I could bring Starfire. For those few days," he said, growing softer with every word.

Bruce's face remained completely impassive for a few seconds of absolute silence, and Dick wondered if he was about to get a rather loud lecture.

"I have one question," Bruce said, and Dick's chest tightened. "Do you trust her?"

Dick blinked blearily, confused by the completely unexpected reaction.

"Um…yea. I do," he answered, the last two words firm and sincere.

Bruce's eyes scanned his, and Dick willed himself not to blink.

"Alright," he muttered, and Dick released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "As long as Alfred doesn't mind, I don't see why not."

"Great," he breathed, grinning as he hurried away, not wanting to give Bruce any time to change his mind.

"Dick?" Bruce called, and he froze, wincing before slowly turning around. "I don't have to get her a present, do I?"

Relieved, Dick laughed loudly. "No, it's probably best you don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bruce snapped.

"That you give terrible presents," Dick answered with a small smirk.

Bruce glared at him before dropping his gaze back to the papers on his desk, and Dick continued toward the door.

Just as he entered the hallway, a loud voice drifted out of the study after him.

"Separate bedrooms!" Bruce bellowed, and Dick rolled his eyes as he continued down the hall.

Retreating back to the kitchen, he gently pushed open the door to find the cranberry explosion had vanished, leaving only a red-stained pile of cloths on the counter left to commemorate the event.

"Alfred?" he called into the room, and the elderly man popped up from behind the counter like a suited, English jack-in-the-box.

"Yes, Master Richard?"

"You don't mind adding one more place at the Christmas Eve dinner, do you?" he asked, smiling knowingly at the man.

Alfred looked at him, confused for a moment, and then as close to beamed as he was capable of. "Master Bruce had no objections, I take it?"

"Naw," Dick replied with a shrug as he sat down on one of the stools opposite Alfred. "He just asked if I trusted her. That's kinda weird, isn't it?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked to the man for answers.

"I don't know, Master Richard," Alfred considered thoughtfully. "It seems to me, in this family…that is the most important question to ask."

Dick dropped his gaze to the counter as he thought. In a way, he supposed Bruce's question wasn't as simple as he'd thought. It wasn't about whether he trusted Kory, just him. It was about everyone. He had to trust her with all of their identities, all of their secrets. He had to trust that, no matter what, she would protect those secrets just as much as they did. It really was complicated, getting into the inner circle of the Bat Family.

"Well, I for one am most looking forward to Miss Starfire's visit," Alfred interjected gaily, smiling to himself as he wiped across the counter. "She seemed most eager to learn how to play some of the card games I spoke of, and it has been so long since I was able to teach anyone."

"Well don't turn her into a master bluffer like you," Dick laughed. "I can't afford it!"

Alfred chuckled slightly, looking up at him with a warm smile, an unsettling twinkle in his eye that Dick knew meant he was about to get some signature Alfred wisdom.

"You truly care for her, don't you, Master Richard?" he asked, and a lump formed in Dick's throat at the seriousness of his tone.

"I- Well… She-She's alright," he muttered, hoping to diffuse the situation with a joke, and Alfred seemed to be willing to let him get away with it because he let out a breathy laugh.

"I make no promises about teaching her my tricks," Alfred said, his tone mockingly stern in spite of the coy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Yea, yea. Alright, card shark," Dick mumbled, sliding off the stool and heading toward the door.

"Oh, Master Dick?" Alfred called, and he paused in the half-open doorway. "Will I be required to get her a present?"

"Uh, I dunno," he murmured, letting the door swing shut behind him as he dropped his hand. "You don't have to. I'm sure she won't be expecting anything. I already told Bruce not to bother."

"Yes, but he is awful at gift-giving," Alfred snapped, and Dick let out a quick burst of laughter. "I feel as though our first meeting should be commemorated with something," the old man continued. "What does Miss Starfire like?"

He thought about it for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing as he blinked at the tile floor.

"She likes…mustard…and orchids…and purple," he listed, his forehead wrinkling more and more as he thought.

"Your powers of observation are astounding, Master Richard," Alfred teased, and Dick sneered at him.

"She likes movies," he added, slightly more confident now. "Get her a gift card to a video store or something."

"But gift cards are so-"

"What made you think I would have a good idea, Alfred? I mean, seriously!?" Dick blurted, gesturing to himself.

"I suppose you are right," Alfred chuckled. "You have, by some freak accident of nature, inherited Master Bruce's skill set in female relations."

"And, by that, you mean…" he probed.

"I will be coming up with my own idea for a present," Alfred finished, and Dick glowered at him for a moment before pushing through the door, grumbling as he made his way back to his room.

Now that Alfred mentioned it, he hadn't given any thought to what he was going to get Kory. He had gotten lucky with her birthday present, and now that they were dating, the pressure was really on. He'd have to think of something good, and he would have to do it soon because Christmas was a lot closer that he'd realized.

"Hey, Dick!" someone called, and he sighed as he turned around, really getting close to his limit of social interactions for one day.

"I was calling to you, like, all the way down the hallway," Babs said concernedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine," he assured, trying to shake his worry away enough not to be obvious. "Just thinking about something."

"What?" she pried, and the look in her eyes told him he wasn't getting away without an explanation.

"Oh, nothing really. Just Christmas presents."

"Figures you wouldn't have even started thinking about it yet," she snorted, shaking her head disapprovingly. "I've already got half of mine."

"You got mine yet?" he asked, his eyebrows rising.

"No, but I don't think a lump of coal will be hard to find," she teased, and he shot her a fleeting glare. "So, what are you having trouble with? I could help you come up with ideas if you're stuck."

"Thanks, but I don't think it's really the kind of thing you can help me with," he mumbled as he began walking toward his room once again, really not wanting to discuss this with Babs.

"What do you mean? Like Bruce? He's easy! Just get him some fancy shot glasses and-"

"It's not Bruce," he interjected, speeding up as he neared his door.

"Then who? Alfred? Because he mentioned he could use a-"

"Starfire," he interjected, stopping just shy of his door as he turned toward her. "I'm trying to think of something to get Starfire."

"Oh…" Babs mumbled meekly, her eyes dropping to his chest. "Girlfriend. Right. Yea, guess I wouldn't be much help with that. How's that going anyway?" she asked, brightening up slightly as she smiled at him.

"Fine, I-I guess," he muttered, not entirely comfortable giving any more meaningful of an answer. "She's coming for Christmas."

"Here!?" Babs blurted, her eyes widening. "She's coming here?"

"Uh, yea," he answered, scanning her curiously.

"And Bruce said that was okay?" she pressed, her tone breathless and disbelieving.

"Yes," he affirmed, his eyes narrowing at her. "Why, is that a problem?"

"What?" she asked, still looking rather shocked. "No. No, of course not. I'm just…surprised he said yes, is all."

"Yea, I was a little bit too," he chuckled, taking the last few steps to his door. "Well, I'm gonna go see if I can find some inspiration online. I'll see ya later," he added, shooting her a small smile as he opened the door.

"See ya," she replied quickly, lifting her hand in a small wave as he closed the door between them.

Clicking the lock into place behind him, he walked over to his computer and flipped open the top.

He honestly didn't know why he always tried researching first. It wasn't as if he actually expected it to work; there was no algorithm he could use to calculate an optimum Christmas present for Kory. For some reason though, he just didn't feel right skipping the recon stage. He blamed Bruce.

Surprisingly, but not exactly helpfully, there were plenty of websites devoted solely to compiling lists of ideas on what to get your significant other. Of course, a lot of the ideas just made Dick incredibly uncomfortable (engraved bracelet with their initials? Pass). Most of the items seemed to be jewelry, and that was incredibly unnerving. Was he really expected to get her jewelry? By the time Christmas rolled around, they would only have been dating around six months. That didn't seem like a jewelry-worthy amount of time. Mind you, it had taken them four years to get there, so maybe the normal progression schedule didn't apply.

Even after all this time, Raven's words echoed in his head, and he leaned back in his chair. Getting Kory something from the heart had worked last time; maybe that was the best strategy this time too. Of course, things were different now, so his heart would have to step up its game. There was, of course, also the problem of what to get everyone else, but they wouldn't be nearly as disappointed if he screwed up. In fact, they might be expecting it.

Grumbling to himself, he lifted off the chair and walked the short distance to collapse onto his grey comforter, staring up at the dark ceiling. It didn't matter that this comforter was silk, that the sheets were Egyptian cotton, that the mattress was one of those adjustable-firmness ones, or that any piece of the furniture could have paid for this semester's college tuition. No, it didn't matter how fancy or expensive this place was; he still slept better at home. With Kory. Where he would be tomorrow.

Smiling at that, he got up to get ready for bed, eager to fall asleep so it would be tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:** You guys are honestly the absolute best readers I could hope for. I get so many wonderful reviews, PMs, and more of you are finding me on Tumblr every day. Seriously, a big, virtual hug to each and every one of you. You guys are awesome, and I wouldn't have the motivation to do this if not for your encouragement and feedback. I hope I continue to make you proud!_

_Oh, and stuff about this chapter! It's a Titan Thanksgiving! I know I'm a couple months behind in my timeline at the moment, but with updating a couple times a week, there was no way I could get it to follow real time without making you wait forever in-between chapters, and you probably would have had my head for that, so this will just have to do!_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"It needs more salt!" Beast Boy argued, grappling at the container.

"No, it doesn't!" Cyborg snapped back, pulling the container toward him.

Starfire and Raven sat at the counter, watching the exchange like one of the matches of tennis, their eyes following the salt container as it was tugged this direction and that.

"Fine!" Beast Boy exclaimed, releasing his grip. "Raven?" he asked, turning toward them, a fierce look in his eyes. "Will you come try this and tell him it needs more salt?"

"But what if it-"

"IT DOES!" Beast Boy interrupted her, and Raven rolled her eyes as she slid off the stool, Starfire chuckling beside her.

"Here," Cyborg said, handing her a small spoonful of the pale brown gravy.

Raven lifted the spoon to her mouth, sipping the gravy off of it. Her face wrinkled thoughtfully as she lapped her tongue against the top of her mouth.

"Maybe just a little salt," she suggested, and Cyborg groaned loudly as Beast Boy shouted victoriously.

Starfire laughed as Cyborg shook the container over the pot, the salt sprinkling inside.

"Smells good!"

"ROBIN!" she exclaimed, flying off her stool and straight into him as he entered through the stairwell door.

"Hey," he chuckled into her shoulder, his bag dropping to the floor as she nearly knocked him over.

"Dinner's in a couple hours," Cyborg called over as she released Robin, lowering herself to the ground beside him.

"You need any help?" Robin asked as they approached the counter.

"Naw, we've got too many opinions in here as it is," Cyborg answered, giving Beast Boy a pointed glare.

"IT NEEDED SALT!" Beast Boy sputtered, and Raven slammed her forehead onto the counter as she wilted with exasperation.

"I'm not even gonna ask," Robin muttered, shaking his head as he headed toward the bedrooms, and Starfire followed dutifully.

She slipped into his room behind him, settling down on the bed beside the bag he set down. He went into the bathroom briefly, peeling off his mask and washing his face before sitting down beside her on the red blankets.

"I am so tired," Dick sighed, his blue eyes closing as he lay back across the mattress.

"Perhaps you should take one of the naps before dinner," she suggested.

"Okay," he mumbled, and she toppled backward as he tugged on her forearm. "G'Night," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her as he buried his face in her hair.

She giggled, but nestled into his chest all the same, her eyes focused on the 'R' logo in front of her. They lay there for a few minutes in silence, his fingers stroking through her hair as she plucked at the yellow stripes on his uniform.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" he said softly, and she tilted her head up toward him.

"Certainly," she replied, and he bent his neck down to meet her eyes.

"I-I was wondering if…" he faded off, a strangely nervous look on his face. "Well, I was thinking I'd spend Christmas morning at the Manor, and then come back here early afternoon," he began, and her heart sank slightly. "So, I was wondering…do you wanna come with me?"

"Come with you?" she repeated, rather confused.

"To the Manor," he elaborated, her breath catching in her chest. "For like a couple days before, and then you'd be there Christmas morning too, of course," he muttered hastily.

"Me? Go to the Manor?" she breathed, her stomach twisting. "Are-Are you certain that would be…alright?"

"I already asked Bruce," he answered quickly, pulling away from her slightly to get a better look at her face, "and you know Alfred wants to meet you."

"I- Are you certain you…want me there?" she murmured, looking up at him meekly.

"Of course I want you there!" he insisted, his forehead furrowing with concern. "Why would you even ask that?"

"It is just…they are your family, family in a different way than we are, and I…I am not certain I will fit in…" She trailed off, dropping her eyes to the panel of his black cape that extended around the front of his neck.

"Of course you'll fit in," he said softly, stroking down her cheek as he encouraged her to lift her head.

"But, what if-" she whispered, looking up at him warily, a knot twisting in her chest, "what if they do not like me?"

"Kory," he chuckled, pulling her tightly to him once again, "of course they'll like you. Everyone likes you."

"But-But what if-"

"Shhh," he interjected, brushing his lips against the top of her head. "Don't worry about it."

She was silent for a moment as she considered, and then she smiled against his chest. Just as quickly as the panic had subsided, however, it returned, and she gasped as she pulled away from him.

"Will I have to purchase presents!?" she blurted, staring at him with wide, frantic eyes.

"Why is everyone asking that?" he hissed, and she narrowed her eyes at him, not in the mood for humor. "No, you don't have to get them presents. I don't think any of them are planning on getting you anything. Well, except for Alfred."

"Alfred is purchasing a present for me!?" she exclaimed, both panicked and touched. "Well then I must purchase something for him as well."

"You don't have to," Dick muttered with a small shrug. "I'm sure he's not expecting anything."

"It would be rude for me to allow him to give me a present unrequited," she scolded.

"Really?" he asked mockingly. "Because I was planning on doing that this year, just letting all of you guys give me presents."

"Your present!" she bleated, suddenly realizing how close Christmas truly was. "Oh, no! I-I had not even considered-"

"Don't worry about it," he assured, shaking his head. "I haven't really thought about yours either."

"Well…" she hesitated, biting the corner of her lip. "Alright," she conceded warily, and he smiled down at her.

"You're ridiculous," he muttered, pressing under her chin as he lifted her lips up to his.

Even after all this time, kissing him still left her breathless on occasion.

"So what's been going on around here?" he asked as they broke apart, his breath puffing against her face.

"Not much of significance," she mumbled, trying to be careful not to lie, but also not to reveal anything that would trouble him.

"No criminals terrorizing the city or anything?" he continued.

"No," she reiterated, shaking her head lightly as her eyes dropped to his chest, "it has been rather quiet."

"Really?" he questioned. "Because _I_ heard you had quite a few break-ins last week. Something of a spree, from what I heard on the scanners."

She winced, involuntarily cowering slightly in his arms.

"But, if you say nothing happened…" he trailed off sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I-I did not know you monitored the scanners," she mumbled to his chest.

He chuckled lightly as he shifted closer to her. "It's okay," he assured, and the tension in her muscles lessened slightly. "I just wish you would tell me. I ask like every time we talk."

"I know," she sighed, looking up at him guiltily. "It is just that you get so worried, and I do not wish to trouble you or distract you from…whatever it is that you are doing."

His face wrinkled in thought for a moment. "Yea, I suppose it might be a little distracting, but I'd still rather hear about it, I think. It makes me more worried to know that you wouldn't tell me, because then I have to worry all the time. Ya know?"

She considered it for a moment, trying to piece together that rather complex series of events. "I suppose that makes the sense," she agreed, nodding weakly. "If you are certain it would not hinder you, I will improve on informing you of such things."

"I'm certain," he confirmed, and they exchanged small smiles before she burrowed back into his chest.

"Dick?" she asked after a few minutes of silence, her fingers tracing along the division between the red and black panels of his shirt.

"Hmm?" he murmured in response, his head tilting down so his chin grazed the top of her head.

"You know…I worry all the time too, and it-it would help if I could-"

"Kory," he said warningly, and she pushed away from him to look into his eyes, which were already aflame with defiance.

"I do not need the details," she added hurriedly. "Merely something to ease my worrying. I have been doing the driving crazy of myself with wondering what it could possibly be."

He looked away from her, his forehead furrowing as his eyes searched side-to-side, as if observing something occurring on the wall behind her.

She held her breath, avoiding even the smallest of movements lest she ruin the consideration he genuinely seemed to be putting into it.

"Okay," he sighed after a while, and she contained her grin to a small smile as he looked back down at her. "I can't tell you very much," he warned, and she nodded understandingly. "It's…it's nothing dangerous," he started hesitantly, obviously uncomfortable with even saying that much. "It just… It has to do with me making that transition to Nightwing," he explained, and her heart flipped in her chest, "but that's all I can tell you. For now."

He looked down at her apologetically, but she merely beamed back up at him.

"That is wonderful news!" she exclaimed, bouncing slightly on the bed.

"You think so?" he chuckled, his shy smile being replaced by a curious one.

"Mhmm!" she affirmed with a nod. "I rather liked Nightwing," she added, her gaze dropping to his chest to hide the blush as she thought about it.

"What? Oh!" he said, nodding as he realized what she had meant. "Wait, what do you mean?" he asked, and she bit her lip, regretting having ever said anything.

"He just…seemed nice," she muttered, although nearly an octave higher than normal.

"But he's me. You already knew I was nice," he countered, and she blushed even deeper.

"Well, I-I merely…" she faded off, her heart pounding wildly with embarrassment.

"Kory," Dick commanded, and she, reluctantly, looked up at him out of the tops of her eyes. "What did you mean?"

She could tell by the barely-suppressed smirk on his face that he already knew, but she could also tell he was going to make her say it. It was exceptionally unfair.

"I- Well, I meant that-" Her mind worked furiously, trying to come up with something that was not a lie, but also not humiliating. "I simply meant that I prefer that uniform," she settled on, content that it was, at least in essence, true.

"What's wrong with this one?" he said softly, and she was, possible for the only time ever, glad that he was being self-conscious. It took the focus off of her.

"Nothing is wrong with this one," she insisted, placing a hand against his chest in solidarity. "It is more what the new uniform represents than the actual styling."

"What do you mean?" he pried, and she was grateful that they now seemed to be completely off the topic.

"Well…you were older and…different. Not fundamentally different in any way, but you-"

"I wasn't under Batman's wing. So to speak," he interjected with a small smile at the play of words.

She nodded. "It is certainly appearing…more and more attractive a prospect," she mused softly, staring at the small stretch of blanket between them.

"I know it's hard," he said softly, and she felt his lips brushing against her hair as he bent his head down toward her. "But it won't be like this forever. I won't always be living out of a suitcase between here and Gotham."

She sighed, pulling at the logo on his uniform, senselessly irritated at the symbol that represented her plight.

"How much longer will it be this way?" she asked, not at all surprised when he sighed heavily with exasperation.

"I couldn't tell you that even if I knew," he said softly, and she nodded, having expected that response. "So, who was responsible for all the break-ins?" he added, and she knew he was only trying to change the subject and likely already knew the answer.

"Mad Mod," she replied simply, twisting to look at him. "He was hypnotizing the security guards into assisting him with stealing the merchandise."

"That's actually pretty brilliant," Dick chuckled, and she gave him a scathing look. "What? I'm just saying."

She rolled her eyes at him, but could not refrain from smiling slightly.

"So what are we having for Thanksgiving?" he asked after another few minutes of silence.

"Mostly the usual fare, except Beast Boy insisted on adding more vegetable dishes. I wanted to contribute something, but I could not find the appropriate ingredients at the store of groceries. Beast Boy and Cyborg seemed quite pleased," she replied, her tone becoming somewhat bitter near the end.

"That you wanted to help?" Dick speculated.

"No," she muttered bitterly, "that I could not."

He laughed loudly, and she wriggled away from him.

"It is not my fault I do not know how to cook the earthen food!" she exclaimed, glaring into his blue eyes. "People enjoy those dishes immensely on Tamaran. I cannot help that you do not have the taste for it."

"I know, I know," he soothed, stroking a gloved hand down her arm.

She was still pouting, but her bitterness softened slightly. "Perhaps…I should learn how to prepare some Earth dishes," she suggested, looking up at him hopefully.

He looked down at her suspiciously. "I-I don't know if I'm the best person to teach you," he muttered, his eyes shifting uncomfortably.

"Why not?" she probed. "You showed me how to make the pancakes."

"Yea, but they come out of a box!" he sputtered, and she frowned at the rebuff. "Here, I'll tell you what," Dick offered quickly, his tone softer now. "Why don't you ask Alfred to teach you some stuff when you come for Christmas. He's already excited to teach you how to play cards; I'm sure he wouldn't mind adding cooking to the list."

"You believe so?" she confirmed, and he nodded.

"I'm positive," he assured, smiling broadly, and it was contagious.

"Well, alright," she mumbled, returning to rest her head against his chest.

After a while, they left the room and went to join the others in waiting for the food to be done, and she helped in whatever way she was permitted to. Soon enough, they were all seated at the table they pulled out especially for holidays, reaching across the table, grabbing bowls and batting at hands as they scooped out the delicacies.

There was a turkey, of course, and the usual toasted bread salad and cranberry condiment that accompanied the poultry, but there was also a variety of strange vegetarian dishes that Beast Boy and Raven had made. Most of them she stayed away from, but there was one particularly intriguing orange one with a topping of the miniature marshmallows that she simply had to try. It was absolutely delicious, and she had taken three scoopfuls by the time the meal was over.

The rest of the Titans had long since become accustomed to how much she ate. With nine stomachs, it took a lot to satiate her hunger, and it also meant that she would be hungry again sooner than any of the others. As another characteristic of her people, however, she could also go quite a long time without eating if it were necessary, considering her body was strengthened and weakened most dramatically by energy from the sun rather than food.

Cleaning up was a rather quick process, and they all collapsed on the couch as soon as the last of the remaining food was packed into the fridge. They all groaned and sighed as they lamented how much they had consumed, and someone turned the TV on and began flipping through the channels.

"What do you guys wanna watch?" Cyborg asked, and she presumed he had the remote.

"Clash of the Planets," Beast Boy suggested with as much enthusiasm as he seemed to be able to muster through a yawn.

"Everybody cool with that?" Cyborg posed, and there was a chorus of indifferent mumbling before he clicked the button and the movie appeared onscreen.

It grew darker and darker as they sat there, the swords of light creating flashes of color across their faces. She leaned against Dick's shoulder, her feet curled up underneath her, and her eyes gradually drooped at the warmth of his side and rhythm of his breathing. Trying to keep herself awake, she glanced past him to look at Beast Boy and Raven, who were sitting on Dick's other side.

Beast Boy was sitting beside him, his eyes sparkling with awe as he watched the battle scene unfold.

Raven, however, looked to already be unconscious, her head settled into the couch cushion and lolling down toward Beast Boy's shoulder.

Starfire smiled lightly as she observed them, watching as Beast Boy's eyes widened.

"Ooo, Raven! This is the best part! You've gotta-" he trailed off as his head twisted down toward the sleeping girl, and Starfire would have given anything to see the expression on his face.

Beast Boy chuckled slightly, shaking his head as he settled back into the couch. He barely glanced when Raven's head slid down onto his shoulder, although Starfire was fairly certain he was smiling a little broader than before.

She smiled into Dick's shoulder, burrowing in closer as she wrapped her arm around his. Feeling him looking down at her, she lifted her face just enough to see his.

He was smiling softly at her, and she was suddenly very regretful of the fact that they were in public.

He would never let her kiss him in front of the others; not now or, as far as she could speculate, ever. She was lucky he was letting her hold onto him like this at all, and even that was likely only because it was dark.

"_What?_"he mouthed, and she shook herself free of her thoughts.

She shrugged, flashing him a half-smile before leaning back down into his shoulder, trying to understand what was happening in the movie. It was rather boring, however, considering she had not been paying enough attention to understand, and she soon felt her eyes drooping again.

The next thing she was aware of were soft voices around her, and she felt strong arms lifting her body in the darkness.

"No, I got her," she heard Dick whisper. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

There were muffled whispers of acknowledgement and goodnight before she felt herself moving, bouncing with Dick's steps. She felt them rise up the stairs, hearing the doors slide open as they entered the hallway, and she burrowed her head into Dick's shoulder as the lights flickered across her eyelids.

He chuckled softly, shifting her in his arms, and he must have pressed his hand against the scanner because she heard the door hiss open. He lowered her gently onto the bed, and she groaned as he slid his arms out from beneath her.

She groped blindly in the darkness of her closed eyes, her searching fingers finding his arm and holding him fast.

"I have to brush my teeth," he chuckled faintly, and she grumbled as she released him.

As she heard him walking away, she tentatively opened her eyes, grateful that Dick hadn't turned on any of the lights. Sitting up, she realized he had placed her on her bed, so she rose and headed to the closet to grab a pair of pajamas.

He gave her a small glance as she closed the bathroom door between them, leaving him to brush his teeth while she got changed.

Pulling the green shorts and oversized, pink t-shirt on, she entered the bathroom to brush her own teeth just as Dick was finishing with his. He set his red toothbrush on the counter and peeled off his mask as he went through to his room, giving her a small smile before closing the door between them.

She brushed her teeth relatively quickly, too tired to put forth her usual amount of effort, and slipped back into her room to wait for him. Pulling the blanket up to her chin-one of the compromises of sleeping with humans-she loosely curled into a ball as she waited. Luckily, he did not take very long, because it was getting progressively more difficult to open her eyes. As she felt the blankets tugging behind her, she turned around, watching as he slid onto the circular bed beside her.

It was an awkward thing, sharing a circular bed with someone. The only way for both people to have enough room to keep their feet on the mattress was to lie relatively close together in the middle. This was, fortunately, no longer a problem for them. It had been, however, back when Dick had used awkward, transparent methods to ensure they were always sleeping on top of the blankets. Then, he graduated to draping a small blanket on top of them before, finally, they could sleep properly in the bed. These measures of modesty were strange to her, but Dick had always been strange, albeit in a rather charming way.

"Gah, your hands are cold!" he spluttered, his arm automatically recoiling from her touch as she shuffled toward her usual spot.

She looked up at him with a slightly hurt expression, her head hovering uncertainly over his shoulder.

"Sorry," he muttered, settling back down onto the mattress and stretching his arm around behind her, "it just surprised me."

She tentatively lowered her head onto his shoulder, curling into his side as his outstretched arm beneath her wrapped around.

His fingers glided across her upper arm in unpredictable lines and swirls, leaving tingling trails in their wake.

She shivered involuntary as she felt the duckbumps erupt on her skin, and, much to her chagrin, Dick chuckled.

"Cold?" he asked, and she could tell by the sly tone of his voice that he knew that was not the case.

"No," she mumbled, burrowing her face into his side embarrassedly, and he chuckled again.

They lay there for quite some time, his rhythmic traces across her skin lulling her to sleep, but a thought occurred to her, momentarily rousing her from the haze of exhaustion.

"Dick?" she asked into his pale blue t-shirt, and he mumbled in response. "How is it you never fall asleep before me?"

"I…I dunno," he mumbled, the vibrations buzzing against her cheek. "I suppose I just…like to know you're asleep first. I dunno," he added hastily, and she smiled at the blush in his voice.

"You worry far too much, Dick," she sighed, resting a hand on his chest, "but it is rather endearing."

She heard a faint puff of laughter as she closed her eyes again, letting the beat of his heart beneath her fingers drum her to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note: **__Everyone is Christmas shopping! Just for perspective, next chapter begins the visit at the Manor, and chapter 12 is Christmas._

_Special shout-out to guest reviewer **Callida** for going through and reviewing every one of my stories!_

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**Chapter 8**

**_Dick_**

December 15th. December 15th and he still didn't have a present. She would be coming to the Manor on the 22nd, and he couldn't exactly go out shopping with her, so he would have to have something by then. To say he was panicking would be an understatement.

It didn't help that, every time Dick Grayson went out, people were staring at him, prying into what he was buying and why. Heaven forbid he even got _near _the jewelry section, or the nosy passersby and clerks would nearly work themselves into a coronary. Really, he should have planned for this and ordered something online, but it was too late for that now.

Pushing out yet another revolving, glass door, he tugged his grey, wool coat tighter around him as he headed down the sidewalk, dropping some change into the bucket of a bell-ringing Santa Claus he passed.

Downtown Gotham, just like any major downtown, was rather nice. If you were merely visiting, you would never know what lurked just a few blocks away, but the locals knew better, and thus the streets were relatively empty by 11pm.

At the moment, however, the main shopping district was bustling with harried people and honking town cars. The yellow streetlights reflected off the icy ground, a light snowfall fluttering down from the twilight sky as his breath smoked out in front of him. Christmas carols wafted out of every store, and he scanned the lighted windows as he passed.

One particular window-framed with flickering, white lights and faux holly-caught his attention, and he stopped dead in front of it, apologizing to the scowling woman that had to quickly sidestep around him. Peering down into the window, he smirked in smug success before darting to the door of the store.

"Good evening, sir," a man in a button-down shirt and tie greeted as Dick entered the door, brushing snow out of his hair.

"Good evening," he replied, clearing his throat at the awkward formality of it, but that was the price of high society.

"Is there something I can assist you with?" the attendant asked, approaching him with his hands folded in front of his chest.

"Um…yea, actually," he muttered, suppressing the nervous compulsion to scratch at the back of his neck. "That necklace in the window," he said, pointing toward the appropriate display case. "Can I have a look at it?"

"Certainly, sir," the man said with a quick nod, walking briskly away from him toward the window.

Dick looked around the store, watching as the customers-mostly couples- pointed down at the glass cases. Christmas was the season for engagements, even he knew that much, and he could tell by the already-starting glances and whispers that some of the other customers were assuming the same of him.

"This way, sir," the gentleman beckoned, and Dick followed over to one of the glass counters that the man quickly scurried behind. He pulled a black, velvet cloth from a drawer and laid it across the top of the counter, smoothing the wrinkles before expertly displaying the necklace atop it.

"Marvelous choice, sir," the man praised, and Dick barely refrained from rolling his eyes at the obviously-obligatory compliment. "This is one of our finest pieces-just came in a few days ago-and, right now, we're running a promotion where you can pay over time with one of our many installment pla-"

"That won't be a problem," Dick interjected, anxious to have the conversation over with as he noticed more and more people beginning to stare at him.

"Oh," the man muttered, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked Dick up and down, the usual reaction when he attempted to buy something expensive and the person didn't know who he was. He'd probably be skeptical too. "So, should I…wrap it up for you, then?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing curiously.

"Please," Dick answered with a small nod, chancing a glance around to find several pairs of prying eyes trying to peer around his shoulders to see what he was buying. This was going to be in a gossip rag tomorrow; he was sure of it. He could see the headline already: 'Dick Grayson's latest flame! Who is this mystery woman?' He should probably head that off with Starfire before she saw anything.

"That'll be-"

"Here," Dick snapped, holding the credit card out toward the man.

With a quizzical glance, he took it, his eyes widening as he read the name on the front.

"Oh, excellent. Just, uh, just a moment, Mr. Grayson," he stammered, nodding in a comically exaggerated sort of way as he scurried to the cash register.

The card was quickly returned to him, and he scribbled a signature down on the receipt as the man hastily packed up the necklace in a ridiculously complicated series of boxes and ribbons, but at least it was already wrapped.

"Here you are," the man chirped, handing him the-mercifully-unmarked, black bag. "Happy Holidays, Mr. Grayson," he added with that signature, salesman smile.

"Thanks, you too," Dick replied, shooting the man a small smile and wave as he turned and left the store as quickly as possible without looking like he'd robbed the place.

He inhaled deeply as he broke back out onto the sidewalk, the crisp air biting at his lungs. He switched the bag to his left hand as he delved into his pocket, his fingers closing around his phone. Pressing the button on the side, he quickly entered his pin and brought up the keypad, resting a finger on the appropriate speed dial number for a few seconds before lifting it to his ear.

"I was beginning to think I would never hear from you, Master Richard," Alfred said coyly, and Dick's eyes narrowing involuntarily.

"Ha ha," he deadpanned. "I'm just passing Effettivo," he continued, glancing in enviously at the warm patrons eating pizza and spaghetti. "Where are you?"

"Coming up behind you as we speak, Master Richard," Alfred chirped, and the line disconnected as Dick turned around to see the large, black town car pulling up beside the sidewalk.

Smiling broadly as he shook his head, he stepped to the edge of the curb and opened the door, quickly dropping into the backseat and snapping the cold out behind him. The Lincoln was warm, and he settled into the black, leather seat with a contented sigh.

"Seatbelt, Master Richard," Alfred prodded, and Dick chuckled as he pulled the strap and clicked it into place. "So," the elderly man continued, peering at him curiously in the rearview mirror, "may I inquire as to what is in the bag?"

"You may," Dick replied haughtily, smirking.

"But you will not tell me," Alfred presumed, and Dick shook his head. The discontent was evident even on the small slit of Alfred's face he could see, and he smiled smugly as he turned back to the window.

"So, how did your Christmas shopping go?" Dick asked as they wound their way out of downtown and toward the rural outskirts, where Wayne Manor sat atop a hill in all its solitary grandeur, the lights of Gotham stretching out under its watchful eye.

"I see no reason why you are entitled to hear about my shopping when you won't tell me anything about yours," Alfred snapped, and Dick laughed riotously.

Somehow, sass sounded so much better coming from an old, Englishman.

"Honestly, the guy wrapped it up so crazy, I couldn't show you if I wanted to," he answered honestly, still chuckling as he shrugged.

Alfred glared at him in the mirror, and Dick sighed heavily, defeated by the steely gaze.

"Alright, alright," he mumbled, his hand clenching self-consciously around the bag. "I got her a necklace. Happy?" he challenged, and Alfred's eyes sparkled and wrinkled as he smiled.

"Not bad, Master Richard," he praised softly. "Not bad at all."

Dick glared at the back of Alfred's head, irritated by his lack of confidence, even though he knew it was well-deserved.

"Anyway," he stressed, leaning back into the soft leather, "how _did_ your shopping go?"

"Quite well," Alfred answered, noticeably more jovial now that his curiosity was satisfied. "I do believe I have everyone taken care of."

"So what did _you_ get for her, then?" Dick challenged, folding his arms across his chest as he smirked into the mirror.

"I am afraid you will have to find out when she does, Master Richard," Alfred answered coolly.

"What!?" he sputtered furiously, launching forward in his seat. "But, you made me-" He was interrupted by the opaque, black glass that rose up, creating a wall between him and Alfred.

Grumbling to himself, he crashed back into his seat, shaking his head in angry disbelief.

Alfred was a real piece of work sometimes.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Raven, hurry!" Starfire whined, tugging the sleeve of her friend's jacket.

"Why do I have to be here?" Raven muttered, scowling as she shuffled forward, resisting Starfire's pull.

"Because I value your input," Starfire explained hastily, growing tired of repeating it.

"But I don't know what Robin likes," Raven argued, just as she had been the entire shopping trip. "Why don't you just put a bow on you?" she irritably suggested.

"Why, Raven! That would hardly provide adequate coverage," she chirped, smirking at her blue-covered friend.

Raven's eyes widened, and Starfire began to giggle.

"Did you just… Was that a sexual innuendo?" Raven stammered, pointing at her incredulously.

"I believe it was," Starfire squeaked, beaming with pride. "I have been doing the picking up of them from Beast Boy and Cyborg!"

"They will be nauseatingly proud of themselves," Raven mumbled, flashing her a small smile.

Starfire laughed, turning away from her friend to peer into the windows as they made their way down the street.

They had done plenty of looking around the mall, but Starfire had not felt anything she had seen there was quite right. Ideas for gifts for Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy had not been difficult, but Dick was proving to be difficult. She wanted something meaningful, but not overly sentimental; something nicer than the other presents, but not something too elaborate

It was an exceptionally difficult task, and a stressful one as well. She could feel the knot of anxiety tightening in her chest as she thought about it, and she turned to Raven for a distraction.

"What about one of the 'custom engravings'?" she asked, pointing at the sign she was reading from.

"Robin wouldn't want his name on anything," Raven answered, moving to stand beside her as they stared into the shop. "He'd probably be worried about it being traced back to him or fingerprinted or something if he lost it."

Starfire rolled her eyes, grumbling to herself as she walked on.

If she was to be expected to accommodate all of Dick's irrational paranoia in her shopping, she would never find anything!

"Oh, Raven," she whimpered, wilting in her puffy, green jacket as she slowed. "I am at a complete loss. He will get me something glorious, and I will have something thoroughly inadequate."

"Well he has a lot more money than you," Raven replied with a shrug, and Starfire gaped at her. "But, I'm sure you'll find something just as nice," she added hastily with a small, apologetic smile.

Starfire groaned morosely, her boots dragging across the sidewalk as they dodged the busy shoppers. Glancing into the windows as they passed, she marveled at just how few options there were for men.

There were innumerable advertisements for jewelry, flowers, and chocolates, but no banners or signs advertising something the male component of the relationship would like. Everything read, "Your wife will love these!" or "She will definitely say 'yes'." What they were supposed to be saying yes to, Starfire did not know, but either way it was obviously not intended to be a gift for a male.

Her eyes scanned over Raven's favorite bookstore as they passed, resting instead on the next store along the route. She had never paid too much attention to the store before, but it had a wide variety of oddities in the window, some of which were even spinning or flashing, and she paused to examine them.

"You wanna go in there?" Raven asked, nodding toward the door as she came to stand beside her.

Starfire shrugged, and Raven pulled the door open for her to go in ahead.

The store appeared to specialize in interesting technologies, with a variety of metallic instruments beeping and whirring on the multitude of shelves. She approached one of them, and found that it was some sort of elaborate alarming clock.

"Raven, what is this?" she asked, pointing to the odd contraption.

"It's an alarm clock that rolls away from you when it goes off," she explained, tapping at the wheels. "That way you have to get out of bed and chase it."

"How…inventively cruel," Starfire remarked, narrowing her eyes as she examined the device.

"Yea, but probably not something Robin would like," Raven chuckled, and Starfire gave her a small smile.

Moving away from the alarm clock, she walked further back into the store, scanning the shelves and tables.

"Evening, ladies!" a large man greeted with a warm smile, and Starfire was struck by how much he resembled the depictions of Santa Claus she had seen, although his beard was not quite as grand and white. "Anything I can help you find?"

"Uh…" Starfire stammered meekly, her eyes darting between the shelves and the grand man in front of her.

"She needs something for her boyfriend," Raven answered, and Starfire rounded on her.

"Raven!" she hissed, blushing furiously, but the Santa Claus shopkeeper merely chuckled.

"No problem, dear," he assured, beaming at her. "We have gifts for everyone. So what's this boy of yours like?"

"Um," Starfire began hesitantly, surprised that she needed to explain this. She assumed everyone in Jump was aware of her and Robin's relationship, but this man was rather old. Perhaps he had no need for such gossip.

"Well, he is rather…complicated," she continued, knowing Robin would somehow find out and yell at her if she revealed too much.

"Ah, a mystery," the man said with a wink. "Well, can you tell me what sort of things he likes?"

"He… He enjoys the music and- and the action movies. He travels a lot," she added hastily, figuring that was a safe thing to say, as well as being entirely true.

"Oh, long-distance, huh?" the robust man said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. Suddenly, a light ignited in his eyes, and his mouth formed into a small circle before he turned and walked away, beckoning her with a waving hand.

She followed dutifully, marveling at how adeptly the man weaved his way around the various tables and stands, in spite of his size.

"Ah, here it is!" he announced, slipping in behind a counter and pointing into the glass case below.

"They are…bracelets?" she questioned, squinting down at the various, wide-banded straps he gestured toward.

"Not just bracelets," he said knowing, smiling with secret knowledge as he slid back the door and reached in.

Pulling a pair of them out, he placed it on the counter, and she noticed the wide, rubber-looking band contained a square of what appeared to be harder plastic. The man hit something on the underside of the band, and the square of plastic revealed itself to be a small screen as it lit up.

"These are heartbeat bracelets," the man explained, gesturing for her to extend her hand.

She did so, and he stretched the band over her fingers before settling it on her wrist, where it contracted once again to fit snuggly against her skin. Lifting it up in front of her face, she thought it looked rather like a watch, although the screen did not have the time on it. It did not have anything on it, as a matter of fact.

"You too, if you don't mind, miss," the man added, smiling warmly at Raven, who had followed them over.

She looked rather confused, but obliged, and the man slid the bracelet onto her wrist as well.

"See this button here?" he directed, pointing to an almost invisible rise in the band just below the screen. "You hold this button down on both bracelets for five seconds, pointing them toward one another," he explained, gesturing for them to do so, and they held their wrists close together as they pressed the buttons. "That syncs the bracelets. Then-"

"Oh, it is blinking!" Starfire exclaimed, pointedly delightedly at her screen. A black, pixilated heart had appeared in the window, flashing in and out of view.

The man laughed heartily, shaking his head at her. "That is your friend's heartbeat," he explained, gesturing at Raven, who looked up at him quizzically.

"Her…heartbeat?" Starfire questioned, watching the blinking heart warily, wondering at this suspicious feat.

The man nodded. "And her bracelet is picking up your heartbeat," he added, and Raven held her wrist out for Starfire to see.

Indeed, there was an identical black, blinking heart on her bracelet, although it was flashing with a slightly faster rhythm.

"There is a chip on the inside of the bracelet," the man explained, pulling another bracelet out and twisting it for her to see. Where it would be pressed against the inside of her wrist, there was a small, metallic-looking device, and she tugged at her own bracelet to see the smooth, silver section pressed against her veins. "The chip picks up your heartbeat and wirelessly transmits it to the linked bracelet," he concluded, smiling as if she were now supposed to understand.

"How far do they work, though?" Raven asked, and Starfire was relieved she was handling this.

"There's a pretty powerful transmitter embedded in there," the man replied. "I wouldn't try and cross an ocean or anything, but it would be fine for anywhere in the U.S."

"So, does it use the batteries?" Starfire asked, twisting her wrist as she scanned the bracelet for some source of power.

"There's a battery behind the screen," he explained, showing her a removable panel on the underside of the bracelet he was still holding as an example. "Just your regular watch battery. Shouldn't need replacing very often. And it lights up!" he announced, hitting another button below the screen, and the background illuminated.

Starfire pressed the button on her own bracelet, smiling as the flashing heart was surrounded by a blue-tinted glow.

"They come in sets of two, obviously," the man chuckled, "and you can get them in any of these colors," he added, gesturing to the row of bracelets within the case. "I'll give you girls awhile to think about it. Find me if you need any more help!" With a cheery smile, he was gone, leaving them standing in front of the counter with their still-blinking bracelets.

"So," Raven interrupted after a moment, "what do you think?"

Starfire bit her lip, staring down at the flashing heart. "What do you think?" she countered tentatively.

"Starfire!" Raven snapped exasperatedly. "It doesn't matter what I think! This is _your_ Christmas present!"

"I know, I know!" she whined, glancing anxiously down at the multi-colored bracelets. "It is just so stressful!"

Raven sighed heavily. "Alright," she said, her voice softer as she took a small step forward. "Do you think Robin would mind wearing a bracelet?"

"Well…no," Starfire replied. "These are not inherently feminine, I suppose."

"Do you think they would be useful at all?" Raven continued gently.

"They… They could be, I suppose," she answered hesitantly, blushing. "It would perhaps…help with the loneliness feeling," she admitted, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"And you wouldn't lie awake worrying about all the ways he could have died," Raven added, and Starfire gaped at her with wide eyes. "You think loud," Raven explained with a small shrug.

Starfire smiled at her friend, both slightly apologetic and grateful. She did not know how she would survive without Raven. She was more of a sister to her than Blackfire had ever been, and Starfire was uncertain she would ever be able to convey to her just how much that meant.

"Do you think Robin would like it?" Starfire asked softly, turning her attention back to the colorful case.

Raven moved closed, standing at her shoulder as she too peered down into the case. "I think Robin gets just as lonely as you do," she answered, smiling reassuringly.

Starfire beamed back at her, letting a small chuckle escape as she looked back at the bracelets.

"So, what colors do you believe I should get?" she asked excitedly, pulling the one the man had given her off.

There was silence for a moment, Raven leaning in closer as they both surveyed thoughtfully.

"Black and purple," they said in unison, turning toward one another with surprise before bursting into laughter.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note: **__This is a LONG chapter because of Wayne Manor and introductions and everything, but hopefully it's still interesting for you. I fiddled with origin stories and such a little bit in order for what we see in Teen Titans to make sense, and I'll explain that a little more in-depth at the bottom of this chapter so I don't give anything away. Enjoy the first installment of a Wayne Christmas!_

_Also, some of you are right on with your speculation in the reviews! You'll figure out who you are eventually, so I will simply say congratulations ahead of time._

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**Chapter 9**

"They're both fine," Raven mumbled, grinding her fingers into her forehead.

"But, Raven!" Starfire spluttered, spinning around to stare at the bored girl who was stretched across her pink, circular bed. "This is exceptionally important!"

"They're pajamas!" Raven shouted, falling back onto the bed with a frustrated growl.

"Christmas morning pajamas! Pajamas that Robin's family is going to see me in!"

None of the other Titans knew exactly where she was going. They knew she was going to Gotham, and that she would be meeting Batman and Batgirl, but they knew nothing of Bruce or the Manor. Beast Boy and Cyborg thought she would be staying in some sort of secret bunker. It bothered her immensely that she could not tell them, but Dick had immediately dismissed all of her attempts to persuade him. He insisted it was not the right time, and she suspected he would always say that. Regardless, she had been true to her word.

"Ugh!" Raven groaned, rising up to glare at her. "The blue ones."

"Do you really believe the blue ones will be the best, or are you merely saying that because you are tired of discussing it?" Starfire pressed, her eyes narrowing at the glowering girl.

"Oh, for the love of- Pack the blue ones! They look nice with your hair!" Raven shouted, her hands flapping furiously.

Starfire smiled softly at her, returning the red set of pajamas to the drawer. "You truly think so, Raven?"

"YES! Yes, I truly think so! Can we be done now?" she grumbled, and Starfire giggled at her defeated expression.

"Yes, Raven, we are now done," she said, and Raven sighed in relief. "With the pajamas," she added, and Raven sputtered furiously. "Now we must move on to top and bottom combinations!"

"Shirt. Pants. Sweater if it's cold. Done," Raven muttered bitterly.

"Raven, I am being the serious," Starfire scolded, shooting her friend a quick glare as she dipped her head into the closet.

"I know, I know," Raven sighed heavily, and Starfire could tell she had defeated her. "Well, I would go with sweaters mostly; it's gonna be a lot colder over there."

"But we will be inside," Starfire replied confusedly as she flipped through her clothes.

"Yea, but it'll still probably be pretty cold. It's hard to keep the cold out in that area; the winters are crazy. But bring some t-shirts and stuff too. Layering and whatnot," Raven muttered, obviously thoroughly agitated with the conversation.

"Layering," Starfire repeated thoughtfully, her forehead furrowing as she considered her clothes.

A minute or so later, she emerged, her arms full of various shirts, sweaters, dresses, skirts, and jeans. Dumping those on the bed beside a wide-eyed Raven, she went to her drawers to gather up enough socks, tights, and underwear.

"Why do you need so much?" Raven breathed, staring down at the pile in shock.

"Well what if we were to go out to a fancy dinner? Or a sporting event?" Starfire explained, dumping the other garments atop the pile and catching the pairs of socks that attempted to roll away. "I need to be prepared for a variety of activities!"

"Yea, but…" Raven mumbled, lifting up the glittering, pink strap of the only formal gown she owned.

"Well, I suppose that one is unnecessary," she agreed, sliding the dress out from the pile and replacing it in the closet.

"So you're coming back on Christmas?" Raven asked as Starfire returned to the bed and began folding things into her suitcase.

"Mhmm," she affirmed with a smile. "Some time early in the afternoon, I imagine."

"Right," Raven muttered, turning to face her. "Well I'll try and keep the guys from opening the presents you got them. No promises though."

Starfire laughed as she pressed a pair of jeans into the confines of the suitcase. "Thank you, Raven. Your efforts are very much appreciated," she chuckled, trying to squeeze in a stack of shirts.

"I think you need a bigger suitcase," Raven mumbled, and Starfire glared down at her.

"It will fit," she countered, her forehead furrowing as she looked at what still needed to be placed inside.

"The clothes, maybe," Raven teased, "but you haven't even started on the shoes yet."

Starfire's eyes widened momentarily before she groaned, her arms wilting to her sides as Raven laughed riotously.

"Separate bag?" the dark-haired girl asked with a smirk.

"Separate bag," Starfire agreed morosely, and Raven chuckled as she rose from the bed to retrieve a smaller tote from Starfire's closet.

"Hey," greeted another voice as the door slid open behind her.

"Robin!" Starfire greeted, and Dick gave her a curious look for a moment before his head turned toward Raven.

"Oh, hey, Raven," he added, smiling at her as she returned to hand Starfire the bag.

"Hey," she replied, giving him a small wave as she walked past him toward the door. "Let me know before you leave," she said, shooting them both a brief smile before exiting into the hallway.

"Wow," Dick chuckled, moving to stand beside her at the edge of the bed. "That's a lot of clothes!"

"I have to be prepared!" she snapped, and his head tilted slightly as he recoiled in surprise.

"Not the first to mention it, am I?" he presumed with a smirk, and she grumbled as she slid socks around the edges of the suitcase.

She closed the top of the suitcase, one hand pressing down while the other attempted to pull the zipper shut.

"Oh, wait, you forgot- Uh-" he stammered, the delicate, pink material slipping through his fingers as he pulled his hand away.

She watched, perplexed, as he turned a furious shade of red, and then burst into laughter when she looked down onto the bed to find the cause.

"Oh, Dick," she chuckled, plucking the pink, cotton panties off the blanket and sliding them into the half-zipped suitcase. "You are quite humorous."

"Whatever," he muttered, clearing his throat as he tugged at the collar of his uniform. "What's that bag for?" he asked, hastily changing the subject as he pointed to the tote Raven had retrieved.

"It is…uh…a separate bag for shoes," she said meekly, her shoulder shirking in embarrassment.

"You need a separate bag for-"

"Winter foot attire is rather large!" she defended, her voice rising.

"Okay, okay," Dick chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

Her anger melted at his touch, and the rest of her melted with his lips brushing against hers.

"I'm gonna go say hi to the guys real quick," he said, stretching away from her.

"Take all the time you desire," she offered, turning to smile at him as he headed toward the door.

She sighed as the door slid closed behind him, a smile fixed on her face and a warmth in her chest that was only present when Dick was around.

As she picked a few pairs of shoes from the closet floor, however, this warmth was replaced with a twisting dread.

She was going to meet Dick's family! His father, who was made all the more intimidating by the fact that he was Batman, his brother, his surrogate sister, and dear, sweet Alfred. What if they did not approve? Would that matter to him? Would he think less of her then?

With questions spinning in her head, and the knot of anxiety in her chest growing tighter by the moment, she grabbed her suitcase and went out into the hall. The living room door slid open, and she found everyone sitting at the stools in the kitchen, except for Cyborg who appeared to be handing out beverages.

"Hey, Star," the half-robot greeted. "You want one for the road?" he asked, lifting a green can of soda in her direction as she approached.

"No, thank you," she declined with a weak smile, resting her bags on the floor at the base of Beast Boy's stool.

"How about a snack then?" Cyborg added, turning to head toward the cupboard.

"No, it is not necessary," she replied hurriedly, and he paused. "I am not the hungry."

"You sure?" Dick asked, walking around the ground to stand beside her. "It's still awhile before dinner."

"I am certain," she reaffirmed, nodding resolutely. Her stomach was in no condition to ingest food, considering the nervous tumbling it was already doing.

"Well, alright," Dick said skeptically, and she knew she would be asked about this shortly. "You ready to go, then?"

She nodded again, her stomach giving a rather dramatic lurch as she forced a smile.

"Alright, well, we'll see you guys Tuesday!" he said, grabbing up both her bags in one hand as he waved with the other.

Starfire made to follow him when Raven grabbed her arm.

"Don't worry," the girl whispered. "They'll like you," she said, flashing a warm, reassuring smile.

Starfire smiled back at her gratefully, placing a hand over Raven's and giving it a gentle squeeze before sliding out from under her grip to follow Dick.

"See you all on Christmas!" she called, waving jovially over her shoulder at the remaining trio as she passed through the stairwell door.

A chorus of goodbyes followed her up the first few steps before the door closed, the metallic _-clang-_ overpowering all other sounds.

Dick was just tossing the bags into the Batgyro when she stepped out onto the rooftop, the winter air brisk against her unprepared skin.

"What are you- Where's your coat?" Dick blurted as she moved toward him, her hands automatically wrapping around her upper arms.

"I packed it," she answered meekly, and she could tell he was rolling his eyes.

"Get in the plane," he ordered exasperatedly, heading back to the storage compartment as she obeyed.

Sliding into the black, leather seat, she momentarily forgot the cold as she stared at the panel in front of her.

There were more buttons that she could have possibly dreamed, many of them blinking like Christmas lights set to music. Of course, pressing one of those Christmas lights would likely result in a large hole being blown in the roof of the Tower, so she restrained herself.

With a small huff, Dick slid in beside her, tossing her bright, green coat in her lap.

"Thank you," she murmured, smiling shyly up at him at she slid her arms into the sleeves.

"No problem," he replied, returning the small smile as the tinted dome closed overtop of them.

He pressed a few buttons and pulled a few levers, and the plane roared beneath them as it lifted off the Tower. It was much quieter than the T-ship, and the flight appeared to be smoother as well, but they had not yet begun to go very fast.

As soon as the thought passed through her mind, Dick pushed forward on a lever and the plane shot up, pressing her back into her seat momentarily. They were flying much higher and faster than they normally did in the T-ship, and she wondered at how Dick was able to control it. Looking over, however, she found that Dick was not doing anything at all, and must have put the plane on the automatic pilot.

"So, what's wrong?" he asked, peeling his mask off as he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Nothing is wrong," she answered in a poor attempt to keep her voice even, and his eyes narrowed at her slightly higher pitch.

She sighed heavily, tugging the cuffs of her coat over her hands as she brought them up in front of her, the tips of her thumbs twisting around one another uncomfortably.

"I am…anxious," she mumbled down at her lap.

"About what?" he asked, and she gave him a pleading look. "Ah, right," he mused, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, you don't have anything to worry about. It's like I told you before, they're gonna love you!"

She smiled faintly at his emphatic assurance, but it did not entirely undo the knot still firmly lodged in her ribcage.

"It is just that…they are your family, and I- I am worried that, if they do not like me…" she trailed off, looking away from him and back to her knees.

"If they don't like you, what?" he probed, and she inhaled deeply as she prepared.

"I worry you will no longer like me," she answered softly, her eyes flicking between his face and her lap.

"Kory," Dick chuckled, taking her fidgeting hands into his, and she lifted her head, "that's not going to happen. Hell, if Bruce doesn't like you, I might even like you more!"

Her eyes widened with panic as he laughed, and he quickly amended the comment as he caught sight of her face.

"But he will," he added hastily, his eyes firm and certain. "So that won't be an issue."

She stared at him, probing the blue depths for doubt, but there was none. Giving him a small nod, she smiled and released his hands to more comfortably rest her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped his right arm around her shoulder in response, and flipped on the radio with the other hand. The carols of Christmas immediately filled the compartment, and Dick turned the volume down so they could still talk over 'Silent Night'.

"So, who did you end up getting presents for, anyway?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Everyone," she answered, and she could feel his muscles tense in surprise.

"Everyone?" he clarified, and she nodded as she twisted her head up to look at him.

"Nothing elaborate, but I thought everyone should have something. I am your guest, after all. It is only polite," she answered.

"What did you get?" Dick asked, and she giggled into his shoulder.

"I cannot tell you. Everyone should be equally surprised."

"But, um…" Dick muttered hesitantly, and she looked back up at him, curious. "They are…proper presents, right?"

She pulled away from him slightly to better look into his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well…you bought them here, right? In a store? A regular store?"

"Actually, I fabricated the presents myself," she replied, now slightly offended in addition to being confused. "Why are you asking me this?"

"What did you make?" he continued as if she had not spoken.

"I do not want to tell you!" she repeated, her eyes narrowing at him. "Why are you asking me these questions?"

"I'm just…I dunno, nervous, I guess," he muttered, looking away.

"What about?" she pried, concerned.

"About what you made everyone for Christmas," he answered tentatively, continuing to look away from her.

"What!?" she blurted, sliding out from under his arm. "You said there was nothing to worry about! You cannot be nervous! I am nervous, and you cannot be nervous when I am nervous because I require you to not be nervous so I will not be nervous!"

"Woah, calm down!" he insisted, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I just meant I'm worried it's some Tamaranean thing they won't get."

Her hyperventilating gradually slowed as she looked at him, her heart rate returning to normal. "It-It is nothing Tamaranean," she assured, still rather breathless.

"Alright, I was just checking," he said gently, sliding his hands up-and-down her upper arms. "I didn't mean to freak you out."

"It is alright," she sighed, shifting back to lean against his side. "I suppose I understand. You wanted to be assured I would not present your father with a crown of meat."

"Yea, something like that," Dick chuckled, and she smiled as his shoulder shook against her cheek.

"When will we be arriving?" she asked, not being able to speculate on the length of the trip considering the Batgyro was so much faster than the T-ship.

"Couple hours," he replied with a small shrug, and she heard rustling as he shifted slightly. "Potato chips?" he offered, holding the yellow bag in front of her.

She lifted off his shoulder, confused.

"I know you said you weren't hungry, but I brought snacks anyway," he explained, assuming her answer and opening the bag.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, but lifted a crisped potato out of the bag regardless.

"Because I knew your nine stomachs would need food once you calmed down," he chuckled, and she slapped him playfully on the arm.

"Sour gummies?" he asked, pulling another bag from seemingly nowhere.

"Certainly!" she chirped, laughing as he poured a few of the candies into her palm.

They talked throughout the ride-casual conversation and jests punctuated with Starfire fretting-and, before she was prepared, they were closing in on Wayne Manor. She could see it in the distance, a massive, grey house seemingly embedded into the hill from their altitude. Her stomach flipped as they grew closer, but they suddenly began turning to the left, and she looked to Dick, confused.

"Are we not going to the Manor?"

"We are," he answered as he took the controls, "but the hangar is further into the woods so nobody sees the planes and such coming and going from the Manor."

"Oh," she murmured, watching as they grew lower over the trees. "But then how will we get to the house?"

"There's a passageway," he explained as the plane began to turn around.

Perplexed, she pressed her forehead against the glass, peering down. To her amazement, a section of seemingly ordinary stone rolled back in front of them, creating a massive opening in the hillside. The plane lowered toward it, and, as the wheels whirred out and the plane entered the opening, they were enveloped in darkness.

The plane bumped against the ground, and, just as she began panicking they would crash into some unseen obstacle, lights burst to life around the edges of the hangar. As they gradually slowed to a stop, she gazed in wonder at the sight.

The hangar appeared to be made of simple concrete, but what made it remarkable was the sheer size. The door closed behind them, so far back now, it looked like only a small rectangle of light. Looking around as Dick steered the plane to what she assumed was its designated spot, she noticed the hangar contained two other aircrafts. One was a large, black plane, and the other, a black helicopter. Looking up, she noticed the roof directly over the helicopter was metal, and she presumed it retracted as a sort of door to allow the craft to rise out.

"Wow…" she breathed, blinking rapidly as her eyes began to sting from staring too long.

Dick merely chuckled, opening the compartment. "You ready?" he asked, looking across at her.

She exhaled a shaky breath before nodding, and he smiled as he squeezed her hand momentarily before standing up.

He jumped out onto the floor and she flew after him, softly landing on the concrete as he went to get her bags.

"I can-"

"I got it," he interjected, slamming the compartment shut as he carried her bags back toward her.

She smiled warmly at him, following as he walked past her and toward, assumedly, the passageway he had spoken of. As they walked, two loud beeps echoed around the hangar, and she could see lights stretching out of an opening in the wall ahead of them.

Suddenly, a small vehicle came whirring out of the passage, steering over to them and turning to the side as it stopped.

"Master Richard! You made good time," the elderly man greeted as he stepped out of the small, open cart, walking around toward them. "And this must be Miss Starfire," he added, beaming as he inclined his head to her, and she smiled as she returned the gesture. "It is wonderful to finally see you somewhere other than a computer screen."

She beamed at him, lunging forward and gripping the man in a tight hug.

He made a small, startled sound, and she giggled as she released him.

"It is glorious to meet you as well, Alfred!" she said excitedly, and the slightly rattled man smiled shyly at her. "And, please, call me Kory."

Alfred gave her a curious look, and Dick cleared his throat.

"Yea, I didn't tell them that was your name," he explained. "Wasn't sure if you'd be okay with it."

"Not all of us are so concerned with the confidentiality of our identities, Dick," she replied, and he smiled, shaking his head at her.

"Well then, Miss Kory," Alfred interjected, clapping his hands together, "let's get you into the house."

She smiled gratefully at him as he took her bags from Dick, loading them onto the back of the cart as they slid into the backseat.

Alfred hopped into the driver's seat in front of them a moment later, and the vehicle jolted forward as they drove back into the tunnel.

It was lit sparingly with red lights along the wall, and she turned to Dick as they rumbled along in silence.

"Why are the lights red?" she asked, looking curiously at the encased lanterns.

"Red light helps your eyes adjust from darkness to light," he explained, "so you don't get that painful, squinting sort of reaction."

She chuckled, turning back to the front to look out ahead of them. She could see what appeared to be an elevator, the large, metal doors glowing red in the light, and her suspicions were confirmed as they pulled up in front of it.

Alfred unloaded Starfire's two bags as they got out of the backseat, and the elevator opened in front of them as Alfred hit the button. He held it open for them to file in, and she against the back of the elevator beside Dick.

As the doors rattled closed and the elevator began to move, she was suddenly seized with renewed terror, her chest tightening rapidly around her pounding heart. Instinctively, she reached for Dick, sliding her arm through his as she clung to him.

He placed his hand over hers, squeezing it lightly as she turned toward him.

"It'll be fine," he whispered, and she attempted to smile back at him.

The elevator dinged to announce its arrival at the desired floor, and she gasped.

All she had thought about this, all she had imagined it, she was still not prepared. She was not ready. She wanted to lunge forward, hit another button, and ride the elevator up and down until she did not feel so hopelessly inadequate, but the elevator bounced to a stop and the doors began opening.

Thankfully, there was no one in the hallway in front of them, and she breathed a momentary sigh of relief.

"I will take your bags to your room, Miss Kory," Alfred said as they walked off the elevator. "Master Dick can show you where it is later." He gave them a polite smile as he turned, his footsteps clapping against the tiles.

"Come on," Dick murmured, sliding his grip to her hand as he led her down the hallway.

She gulped as she followed, looking around meekly at the elaborate paintings and vases that flanked the hall. The ceiling was high, their footsteps echoing around the pale chamber, and she shrank at how intimidating it all was.

Dick tightened his grip around her hand, and she turned her attention from the ceiling to his face, which was smiling encouragingly.

She managed to faintly reciprocate this time, but it was immediately wiped from her face as she heard voices up ahead.

Dick paused just before an open archway in the wall, and she could now hear two distinct voices: one male, and one female.

"Ya good?" he asked, looking at her reassuring.

Her eyes flickered frantically between him and the entrance, but the blue orbs were so hopeful, she could not help but be reassured. She gave him a brief nod, and he beamed in response.

"Alright. Here we go," he said softly, and, to her surprise, continued holding fast to her hand as they rounded the corner.

"There's nothing on!" a frustrated male voice said, as she saw a black head of hair over the top of the couch move.

"I saw a few things; gimme the remote," the redhead beside him asked, holding her hand out.

"No way! You'll pick something girly!"

"Yea, because I'm _so_ girly."

"Hem-hem!" Dick cleared his throat loudly, and the two people twisted on the couch.

"Oh, hey!" the young boy greeted, jumping over the top of the couch to land deftly in front of them. "Didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"Kory, this is Jason," Dick said, gesturing toward the boy.

"Charmed, I'm sure," Jason replied grandly, bowing and taking her hand.

"Easy," Dick muttered, but Starfire giggled as she inclined her head politely.

"And, this is Barb-"

"Babs," the redheaded girl interjected, extending her hand. "I hate Barbara. It sounds so old."

Starfire smiled as she took her hand, and though Babs was smiling back, Starfire could see the wariness in her eyes.

"So, what are you guys up to?" Dick said hurriedly, and Starfire smiled at his diversion.

"Nothing much," Babs said with a shrug. "Just watching TV. Nothing we can't do while we pry into your personal business."

Jason let out a small burst of laughter, and Dick glared half-heartedly as he shook his head.

"Come on, Kory, let's sit down," Babs beckoned, and she followed hesitantly, glancing frantically over her shoulder at Dick.

He gave her an encouraging smile before turning back to his conversation with Jason, who was anxiously muttering to him.

Starfire followed Babs back over to the couch they had been sitting on, lowering herself down onto the brown leather beside the girl.

"So, how was the trip?" Babs asked, smiling in that strange way again.

"Pleasant," she replied simply, trying to keep her fidgeting to a minimum. "It was shorter than I expected."

"Yea, well Bruce demands the best," she chuckled, and Starfire let out a small, polite laugh in response. "I imagine it's a lot faster than that T-ship you guys have."

"Indeed," Starfire answered with a quick nod.

"So, how long have you been a Titan?" Babs continued, and Starfire's chest tightened.

This was it, the moment she had been dreading. This was the point where the pleasantries ended and the interrogating began. She only hoped she provided acceptable answers.

"I have been with the Titans since the group's inception," Starfire explained.

"So that means you've known Dick…how long?" Babs added, leaning in slightly as her eyebrows rose.

Starfire could feel her throat closing, but fought to speak through it. "Around five years," she replied. "I am not certain as to the exact amount of time."

"Yea, that's pretty much right after he left," she said, shrugging slightly as she glanced over the couch at Dick, and Starfire felt the atmosphere lighten as Babs seemed to begin relaxing. "So how did you guys all hook up anyway? Dick was pretty set on not doing the team thing when he left."

"Uh, well..." Starfire stammered, glancing nervously back at Dick, who was too deep in conversation with Jason to come to her rescue. "It is a rather strange story. I encountered Dick when I landed in Jump, and we- Well, he-" She faded off, glancing nervously over her shoulder at him once again. "He technically…attacked me."

"He WHAT!?" Babs blurted, and she heard the conversation behind her cease. "You _attacked _her!?" Babs snapped, twisting around on the couch, and Starfire followed to look up at Dick apologetically.

"What?" Dick replied, his forehead furrowing. "Attacked her? I-I don't-"

"She asked about how we met," Starfire interjected desperately, "and I-I did not know how to-"

"Oh, right," Dick said, smiling slightly, and Starfire was relieved to know he at least was not mad. "Maybe I should take this one," he offered with a small chuckle as he came to sit beside her on the couch, making her shift closer to Babs, whose eyes were still narrowed.

"I did attack her," Dick began, and Babs' eyes widened, "but only because she was inadvertently destroying the pizza place."

"What?" Babs asked, the anger slowly giving way to confusion.

"Well, I was not intending to destroy the place of pizza. I was merely trying to dislodge my handcuffs," Starfire added, smiling brightly at the girl.

"Handcuffs?" Babs repeated, glancing furtively between the two of them. "Okay, maybe you should just start from the beginning."

She heard Dick chuckle behind her as she giggled softly.

"Well, Kory was- Uh…" He faded off, and she turned around to look at him.

His eyes were pained and uncertain, and she felt a knot grow in her chest as she realized what he was thinking.

"It is okay," she assured, smiling gently at him as she placed a hand on his knee. "I will tell her."

"You don't have to," he said softly, shifting closer to her on the couch. "I never told them anything, and you only just met them. I'm sure everyone would understand if-"

"It is fine, Dick," she said, staring determinedly into his eyes.

Skepticism flashed across the blue, but he nodded after a moment and she turned back to Babs.

"I was a prisoner of an alien race known as the Gordanians," Starfire began, feeling the couch depress behind her as Jason leaned over the top to listen. "My servitude was a condition of a peace treaty that was made with my planet, Tamaran."

"Oh my god!" Babs breathed, her hand involuntary snapping to her mouth. "That's…horrible!"

"It is customary in the Vega system for conquerors to take captives," she explained matter-of-factly. "It was my responsibility to sacrifice for Tamaran's peace."

"Why?" Jason asked. "Why would that be your responsibility? Don't you have armies or something?"

"Our armies were vastly depleted after the first invasion long ago," she replied, feeling, for the first time in her story, a shot of pain across her chest. "The Gordanians came before and, while we repelled them, the planet was irreparably damaged and many lives were lost."

There was a moment of silence before she continued.

"When they returned for vengeance, I, as the last remaining member of the royal family currently residing there, was offered to ensure Tamaran would endure no further destruction."

"Wait," Babs interrupted, her forehead furrowing. "The royal family? So, you're-"

"Princess of Tamaran," Starfire explained, and Babs' mouth fell open. "I have a sister as well, but she has since been banished due to numerous…indiscretions."

"But, if you're a princess, your parents would be King and Queen, right?" Jason presumed, and Starfire nodded up at him. "Well then why didn't they do anything? I mean, they didn't just let you be handed off, did they?"

Starfire's gaze dropped to her knees, and she flashed Dick a grateful smile as he placed a comforting hand on her forearm.

"My parents were killed in the first invasion," she said quickly, hoping to avoid becoming emotional if she were brief.

There was absolute silence in the room, the kind of silence that presses on your ears.

"So," she continued, not wanting to give anyone enough time to express sympathies, "I left with the Gordanians, and they delivered me to the Citadel. I spent… Well, I am uncertain how much time precisely, but it was quite extensive. It was…" She paused, biting her lip as she considered how to say it. "Difficult," she decided upon, "but it grew even worse when the Psions came and kidnapped me, along with my sister. I had been unaware she had also been held captive by the Citadel until she appeared with me on the Psion ship."

She stopped for a moment, sighing heavily down into her lap. It had been a long time since she had been required to explain this, and she had, thankfully, only needed to do it once when everyone was present. She had told Dick more details about the specifics of the torture, but even he did not know everything. She did not believe he ever would.

"The Psions are a race of alien scientists," Dick continued for her, and she simply squeezed his leg lightly to express her thanks. "They conduct experiments on…anything, really," he muttered bitterly. "That's why Starfire and Blackfire-her sister- have starbolts," he explained. "The Psions wanted to see how much energy they could absorb before…" He trailed off, and she finally managed to lift her head to see him staring murderously into space.

"The Gordanians attacked to retrieve us, however," she interjected, and Dick released a shaky breath as she watched him struggling to regain control of himself. "I suppose I should be grateful for that, in a way," she mused, and Dick sputtered furiously. She gave him a small glance, and he met it for only a moment before glaring at the floor.

"They were returning us to the Citadel when I broke free from my bonds," she continued. "I searched for my sister on the ship, but could not find her, so I escaped to Earth. I was attempting to break the restraints on my hands by hitting them against a column, but I was unaware I was causing damage to the place of pizza above. That was when Dick attacked me," she finished, catching up to the place where she had started, but the atmosphere now felt very different.

"Wow," Babs whispered. "That- That's-"

"Some heavy shit," Jason interjected, and Starfire looked up at his dazed expression.

In spite of herself, and likely mostly due to her nervousness, she giggled, causing everyone to look at her as if she had sprouted extra limbs.

"It was very long ago," she said, her composure returning. "Those things are in the past. My life is different now, and I would rather not dwell on things that have long since come to pass."

Babs dropped her gaze to her lap, her eyes darting side-to-side in deep thought, and Jason's eyebrows furrowed.

"So, I see this crazy girl trying to destroy the pizza place," Dick interjected after a few moments, and she turned to him with a grateful smile, "and I…well, I threw a birdarang at her."

"Just like that?" Babs snapped, and the heaviness of the previous discussion seemed to melt away with her anger. "You didn't even try and talk to her!?"

"I didn't know her!" Dick defended. "She was just some crazy, alien chick smashing up a building and speaking some freaky-sounding language! No offense," he added hurriedly as she turned to him, mouth agape.

"_So_," she stressed, glaring half-heartedly at him, "I threw a car at him."

"You WHAT!?" Jason shouted, but Babs merely burst into laughter.

"It did not make contact," she added casually, and Babs laughed even harder.

"Well, then Beast Boy showed up, and she threw a bus at him-"

"It just keeps getting better!" Babs gasped breathlessly within her laughing.

"-but Cyborg caught it," Dick finished, smiling now, the memories of Starfire's history seemingly, for the moment, gone from his mind.

"So that's how you guys met?" Jason presumed. "Because she was throwing things?"

Starfire and Dick exchanged a small glance.

"Pretty much," Dick said with a shrug, and Starfire giggled.

"What about Raven?" Babs questioned, her laughing finally subsiding.

"Raven came to my rescue," Starfire chirped, and Babs smiled slightly as she looked at her curiously.

"We were all plotting on how to take her out," Dick began, and Starfire snorted at the assumption that it would have been possible, "when Raven stopped us. She suggested we try a less violent approach, so I went up and tried to talk to her."

"I did not speak English," Starfire explained, "so I did not know what he was saying-"

"But she let me get close enough to take the handcuffs off, and then-"

Dick stopped, looking at her with hesitation, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

She giggled involuntarily, and Babs and Jason leaned in with curious expressions.

"I should explain," she began, feeling the light heat travelling up her face. "Tamaraneans learn languages by way of lip contact, so, when Robin released me, I-"

"You _kissed _him!?" Babs and Jason blurted in unison before bursting into laughter.

"Oh god! What I would give to have seen the look on your face!" Jason laughed, collapsing over the back of the couch in his mirth.

"Well she pretty much threatened me right afterwards," Dick muttered, "so I don't think it would've been nearly as funny as you think."

"I did not threaten you," Starfire insisted, mildly hurt. "I merely told you to avoid getting involved because I did not wish you to be injured."

"Involved in what?" Babs probed, and Starfire turned to find wide, eager eyes staring at her.

She had not realized the story of their first meeting would be so riveting.

"The Gordanians came looking for her," Dick explained, "and that's when we really became a team, I suppose. Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and I tracked her down, and then we all teleported onto their ship to stop them from destroying the city. That's actually why we decided to build the Tower where it is too; that's where the Gordanian ship landed before we destroyed it."

"Wow," Babs chuckled after a moment, breaking the silence. "That is some story. Might wanna shorten it for the vows though," she added with a wink.

"The vows?" Starfire repeated, twisting curiously around to Dick, who had stiffened against her side. "Dick, what are-"

"Master Richard," a low voice said, and they twisted on the couch to peer over the top, Starfire having to lean around Jason. "Master Bruce is looking for you. He is waiting in the study."

"Right," Dick said, rising from the couch, and Starfire lifted after him, her heart beginning to pound. "We'll be right there, Alfred. Just got a little distracted."

"Yes, I heard," Alfred replied, smiling warmly as he entered the room. "Quite a remarkable story you two have," he said with a chuckle, and Dick shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"Yea, well, uh- We should go," he muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her past Alfred and out of the room.

"It was lovely to make your acquaintance!" Starfire called, walking backwards for a moment as she waved.

She received short waves and smiles in response from the group remaining in the room before Dick pulled her around the corner.

"I believe that went rather well," she sighed happily as they slowed, his hand slipping from hers as he stopped dragging her along.

"Yea, I guess," he muttered darkly, and she stopped abruptly, looking at him in curious alarm.

"You- You do not believe it went well?" she said weakly, feeling the panic rising in her chest as a stinging sensation grew behind her eyes.

"What? No!" he exclaimed as he turned, his eyes widening as they met hers. "No, no I didn't mean it like that," he assured, grabbing both her hands in his and holding them between their chests. "It went really well. Better than I'd expected, actually. It's just…" He trailed off with a heavy sigh, turning away from her, and her hands fell to her sides as he released them.

"It is just…what?" she prompted after a moment, growing concerned as he stared at the wall.

"I just… I hate hearing you talk about that," he nearly whispered, still not looking at her.

"Talking about wha- Oh," she murmured, her hands folding in front of her as she realized. "You mean the Ci-"

"Don't," he interjected, looking up at her with a pained expression, but there was fury burning behind the blue. "Don't even say it."

"Dick-" she started, lifting a hand toward his shoulder, but he turned away from her.

"When I think about what-what they did, what they could have done- I-I just-"

"But they did not," she said softly, taking his hand and pulling it toward her, prompting him to turn. "What happened has happened, Dick, and all of the torturing of yourself will not change it."

"I know, but if I had been there-"

"You could not have been there," she interrupted, gripping his shoulders and tilting her head to attempt to look into his downturned eyes. "You did not even know me, and, in truth, if not for those things…you may never have."

He looked up at her suddenly with wide-eyed shock. "You can't possibly think all of those things were…_good_!?"

"Not good, Dick," she said softly, "merely necessary. Who is to say what course my life may have taken without those obstacles? It was unpleasant, of course," she admitted as he stared at her incredulously, "but I believe everything happens for a reason."

His eyes softened slightly, but his expression remained stern.

"That reason may very well be for me to be here spending Christmas with you, but you are being a very poor host," she said with a smirk, and he finally smiled.

"You're right," he sighed, taking her hand. "Shall we?" he asked, leading her down the hallway once again.

She smiled back at him and followed, calm enough after meeting half the family to be able to take in the scenery a little better.

There were strips of foliage hanging along the walls, punctuated periodically with large, red bows and glittering, gold ornaments. Every room they passed seemed to be lit festively with twinkling, white lights and more branches of the foliage that Starfire was beginning to think were real, considering the smell in the air. The pine scent blended with something sweet-as if Alfred were preparing cookies wherever the kitchen was-in the air, and she breathed the pleasant scent in, trying to sear every detail of this moment into her mind.

Glancing into another room they passed, she froze, her fingers slipping through Dick's as he continued a few steps without her.

"Kory?" he questioned, but she did not turn toward him, completely transfixed at the sight in front of her.

The room looked very much like a normal living room, aside from the largest tree of Christmas she had ever seen. Dick had shown her pictures of the one in the city of New York, and she imagined this tree before her must be what that one looked like in person.

It must have been nearly three times her height, and was covered with thousands of flickering, multi-colored lights that reflected off the mirrored adornments hanging on every branch. At the top of this towering marvel was a huge, crystal star that sent prisms cascading over the room, flickering and changing color with the lights.

Before she even realized what she was doing, she found herself standing at the foot of the tree, having drifted into the room in a sort of trance.

"Bruce always insists on getting a real one," Dick said, and she jumped, having forgotten anything other than this tree existed. "It seems to get bigger every year."

"It is beautiful," she breathed, lifting off the ground to examine the ornaments that were above her height. "What is this?" she asked, pointing to a particular ornament that appeared to be composed of wooden clamps and cotton, with wide, plastic eyes staring out at her.

"Oh, yea," Dick muttered, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. "That was this craft I did in school when I was younger. We had to make sheep out of clothespins and cotton balls for Christmas. It's pretty stupid."

She gasped with joy, twisting in the air to beam down at him. "Are there more of your creations on the tree?" she chirped, bobbing up-and-down excitedly.

His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he blinked up at her, obviously caught off-guard. "Uh, no," he muttered, shaking his head in a swift, jerking motion.

"You are lying!" she exclaimed, pointing accusatorily at him.

"No, I'm not. That's the only- Kory!" he chided as she giggled, floating higher as she scanned the tree for more handmade items.

"Where are they?" she asked, shooting back-and-forth.

"I told you, there aren't any- Stop!"

"OH!" she shouted in triumph, pointing at another creation, this one made of several, fuzzy fabric pieces glued together to resemble a reindeer. "Aw, it is adorable!"

"Okay, enough! Now, come down," Dick snapped, pointing to the ground as if he were scolding a child.

"Make me!" she shouted back, laughing as she flew higher.

"Kory!? There aren't any more. Kory, will you please just-"

"There's a popsicle stick picture frame near the top," a gruff voice said.

A sharp yelp escaped her as her heart leapt into her throat. The sudden terror caused her to lose focus, and she tumbled through the air.

Instinctively, she did not even bother attempting to catch herself, and merely wrapped her arms around Dick's neck as she landed in his arms.

They exchanged a brief, nervous glance before turning toward the door.

Of all the ways she imagined meeting Bruce Wayne, it was not in the air with Dick's arms around her legs and back.

"Didn't mean to scare you," Bruce said with a smirk, and she felt his stern gaze on her as she untangled herself from Dick's grasp.

She knew she could take this man and throw him through the wall if she wanted, but somehow, standing there in front of the imposing, suited figure of Bruce Wayne, she found herself feeling very small and weak. She shuffled slightly closer to Dick, pressing against his side so his arm created a sort of-albeit small-barrier between them.

"Bruce Wayne," the man unnecessarily introduced himself as he walked toward them, extending his hand.

Reluctantly, she left the safe warmth of Dick's side to lift her hand.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Starfire," he said with a smile that did not reach his eyes, a steely blue-grey that bored into her.

"Please, call me Kory," she offered, pulling a smile onto her face.

"Kory," Bruce corrected, and, though it did not affect her, she could tell he was giving her a rather firm handshake. "So, I see you like our Christmas tree," he added, releasing her hand and gazing up at the tree.

"Indeed," she replied meekly, folding her hands in front of her. "It is most delightful."

Bruce raised an eyebrow at her, chuckling softly. "Dick said you had a rather…unique dialect."

Starfire smiled back at him, a slight blush rising in her cheeks. "Yes, English is not my first language."

"But you can still understand her just fine," Dick interrupted, and she felt his presence at her side even though he did not touch her.

Bruce chuckled, giving Dick a curious look. "Of course. I was just saying," he replied with a shrug, turning back to her. "So, Kory, I'm afraid Dick hasn't told me very much about you apart from the fact that you're a member of the Titans"-she heard Dick grumble faintly-"and, apparently, you can fly."

She chuckled, turning instantaneously red in embarrassment. "Yes, I-I am normally much better at it," she murmured.

She nearly jumped as Bruce laughed; a small laugh, but a laugh that did not seem fitting of someone in such fancy attire.

"So I've seen," he said, and she tilted her head curiously. "The Titans make the news here every now and again. Gotham likes to keep tabs on their Boy Wonder," he added, smirking down at Dick, who snorted. "How do those starbolts of yours work, if you don't mind me asking?" Bruce asked, looking at her thoughtfully.

"Um, well," she mumbled, taking a moment to prepare for the sudden question. "I absorb energy from red stars like your sun," she explained, "and I can channel that energy into starbolts. Provided I can muster the righteous fury necessary to use them," she added, and Bruce's eyebrows furrowed.

"Righteous fury?" he repeated, and she saw his eyes flash over to Dick for an almost imperceptible moment.

"Tamaranean powers are fueled by our emotions," she elaborated. "Righteous fury fuels the starbolts, and unbridled joy enables flight."

"Ah," Bruce said, his eyes alight with comprehension. "So, when I startled you earlier-"

She nodded, and Bruce scanned her as if he had only just encountered her.

"Interesting," he muttered, and she grew slightly uncomfortable under the gaze.

"Well," Dick interjected pointedly, shifting slightly so he was in front of her, and she was grateful for the intrusion, "I should probably show Kory where her room is before dinner."

"I can do that, Master Richard," Alfred chimed in, suddenly appearing in the doorway.

"Oh, no, that's okay, Alfred. I can-"

"I insist," Alfred interrupted, silencing Dick's protest with a raise of his hand. "It will give us a chance to become better acquainted. Face-to-face, that is," he added with a small smile, and Starfire grinned back at him.

"Well…alright," Dick muttered, glancing with narrowed eyes between her and Bruce, obviously unhappy with his foiled escape attempt. "I'll be there in a bit," he whispered as she passed him, and she nodded softly.

She followed Alfred out in the hall, asking him about certain pieces of artwork or artifacts she saw on the walls or in cases as the passed.

He was a wealth of knowledge, eagerly explaining everything to her and being incredibly patient when there were words or phrases she did not understand.

She wondered if perhaps Dick had gained that particular trait from Alfred rather than Bruce, considering he did not seem to be the most…compassionate of people.

Before long, they arrived in front of a grand, wooden door, and Alfred pushed it open for her before beckoning her inside.

The carpet was a deep red, which allowed the dark wood furniture to stand out against the color. The walls appeared to be a pale grey color, but it was hard to tell in the dim light. What caught her attention most, however, was the grand bed. It had four posts that stretched toward the ceiling and thin, golden curtains that draped down toward the floor, tied back by red ropes. Across from the bed was a large, wooden dressing table with a massive, gold-framed mirror hanging above it, reflecting her shocked expression back at her.

Gaping, she blinked furiously, as if it were a mirage that she could clear.

Alfred chuckled behind her, and she jumped as she was jolted from her trance.

"Master Dick's room is just down the hall, next door on the right, and your bathroom is just through that door there," he explained, smiling warmly at her. "Dinner will be ready shortly. I was instructed to place mustard next to your place at the table," he added, raising his eyebrows at her.

She chuckled softly, rubbing her upper arm self-consciously. "Yes, I- I have an affinity for the mustard," she answered with a shy smile.

Alfred chortled, shaking his head at her. "I will collect you when dinner is ready," he said, and began to close the door.

"Oh, Alfred?" she called, and he paused, turning back to her inquisitively. "Um, is Dick-"

"I am certain he will report when he is finished," Alfred interjected, assuming her question.

She gave him a small, nervous smile as he closed the door, and then turned back to her room. Heading over to the bed, she planned to unpack her suitcase, but found herself too anxious for it. Nervously pacing back-and-forth, she waited for Dick to return, hoping Bruce was not saying anything too detrimental about her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Dick_**

"She seems nice," Bruce said, staring after Starfire as she left the room with Alfred.

"_You_ could've been nice," Dick snapped, glaring up at him.

"What are you talking about? I was nice," Bruce grumbled back, and Dick snorted.

"How do your starbolts work!?" he snarled, and Bruce's mouth twitched. "That's what you say the first time you meet her? Seriously?"

"It wasn't the first thing I said," Bruce replied with an infuriating smirk.

"Why does it matter to you anyway how her starbolts work?" Dick muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "And don't think I buy that news coverage thing. You've been checking up on me."

"Of course I've been checking up on you," Bruce said sternly, his expression turning grave. "Ever since you went on your little solo adventure-"

"It's not just some little adventure," Dick sighed exasperatedly, tired of having this argument. "I have a team now. I have the Titans. I'm not going to be Robin anymore."

Bruce snorted derisively, and Dick glared at him.

"_Anyway_," Dick emphasized, knowing it was pointless to continue down that path with Bruce, "why were you asking about her starbolts?"

"I was just curious," Bruce shrugged. "They look pretty devastating, from what I've seen, and if they're tied to her emotions-"

"Dammit, I knew you would do this. I knew it!" Dick snapped, twisting and taking a few steps away as his arms swatted furiously at the air. "She's not some…some…dangerous freak of nature! Just because she's an alien doesn't mean-"

"Dick, I never said-" Bruce cautiously interrupted, but Dick was on a roll.

"You didn't have to say it! I can tell! The way you looked at her and your tone and-and- UGH!" he cried, staring angrily into the flames that were flickering within the marble fireplace.

"Dick," Bruce ventured, his footsteps coming closer, "it was just a simple question. All I meant was that-"

"You don't trust her," Dick snapped, glaring into the fire, and the footsteps halted behind him.

"I only just met her," Bruce replied, and Dick rolled his eyes at the evasiveness. "I hardly know her-"

"And yet," Dick interjected, spinning to glare up at his father, "you've already decided you don't approve."

"I haven't decided anything!" Bruce answered, his voice finally containing some emotion.

"Well, I don't care!" Dick growled, taking a challenging few steps toward the man. "I don't care if you approve or not. I don't care if you trust her or not. I don't care if you think she's some alien psychopath bent on global conquest! I don't care, and I _won't_ care, because I-" he stopped, the anger slipping away from him as he blinked rapidly, wrestling with the shock of what he'd almost said.

"You what, Dick?" Bruce prodded, looking somehow more severe now than he had before.

"I trust her," Dick quickly recovered, giving Bruce one last, pointed glare before heading toward the door.

"Dick?" Bruce called, and he stopped, wincing before he turned back. "She really does seem nice," Bruce muttered hastily.

Dick blinked, and then gave him a small smile. He knew that was the best he was going to get out of Bruce, at least for now.

"See ya at dinner," Dick said as he walked out into the hall, knowing not to press the topic further or Bruce would get testy.

He walked through the house toward Kory's room, knowing she would be waiting for him to tell her what happened with Bruce. Now that he thought about it, maybe he had overreacted. He had expected Bruce not to like her, so whatever he said, Dick was bound to interpret it that way. Maybe this was going to be okay after all. Maybe, although Dick barely dared hope it, Bruce would end up actually liking her, as opposed to his usual cold indifference.

Just as he'd suspected, he had no sooner opened the wooden door than she was on top of him, grabbing his wrists and pulling him into the room in one, swift motion.

"Well?" she said frantically, staring at him with wide, darting eyes.

"Well what?" he replied, and she gave him a withering look. "He said you seemed nice," he added, knowing it was best not to drag the teasing out any further or he would risk bodily harm.

"In what manner did he say it?" she asked breathlessly, bouncing up and down impatiently on the red carpet in front of him.

"What do you mean?" he inquired, his forehead furrowing with genuine confusion now.

She rolled her eyes as she sighed exasperatedly. "I mean did he say it genuinely, or perhaps in the joking sort of manner than would imply he does not find me to be nice at all?"

Dick blinked at her, momentarily stunned, and then burst out laughing.

"Dick!" she pleaded in a high-pitched whimper, tugging at the sleeve of his uniform.

"I'm sorry," he said, trying to shake the last remnants of laughter from his voice. "It's just, you're so worked up about it."

"It is important," she insisted, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at him.

"You're right," he said hastily, clearing his throat. "It is important. I'm sorry," he added, and her eyes narrowed for a moment before relaxing with forgiveness. "He said it genuinely," he explained, and she beamed.

"Oh, glorious!" she chirped, spinning up into the air before swooping down and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

He chuckled as he returned the embrace, one hand sliding through her hair. "We should probably get changed," he said as she pulled away. "Dinner will be ready soon."

She nodded, still glowing with happiness as he placed a hand on the doorknob. "I'll walk down with you when Alfred comes," he assured her, and she smiled gratefully at him as he passed through the doorway.

Dinner went by rather uneventfully, with only a few awkward moments of having to explain Kory's affinity for mustard, and then they all talked and swapped stories over coffee or hot cocoa. Most of the stories were at the expense of Dick's dignity, but he didn't mind. He was the only common denominator, and he was happy to be the butt of the joke if it meant Starfire was comfortable, and she seemed to be, choking into her hot chocolate more than once as Jason reached the punch line.

Before they'd realized it, it had grown rather late, and the yawning that had begun to break out signaled it was time for bed. With a chorus of goodnights, they headed to their various sections of the house, Babs heading out the front door.

"Is she in the appropriate condition to drive home?" Starfire asked, looking over her shoulder as a car revved up outside.

"She'll be fine. It's not really that late," Dick brushed off, and Kory's forehead wrinkled with concern for a moment before she seemed to accept his assurance.

She yawned heavily, covering her mouth as the small squeak escaped her.

"Tired?" he chuckled, and she jokingly sneered at him as they approached her doorway. "Well…night," he mumbled, hesitant to kiss her considering someone could come around the corner at moment, not to mention the cameras.

"Pleasant schlorvaks," she replied, smiling in that way she did when she was reading his mind, and he was grateful for it.

He slid his fingers down her hand for just a moment, letting her fingertips trail off of his as he walked toward his door. They exchanged a small, shy smile before entering their rooms, and he leaned against the door as it closed. He stood there for a moment, staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

With a small smirk, he burst from the doorway, throwing caution to the winds as he raced into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth quickly and tugged his clothes off, pulling pajama pants and a t-shirt from his dresser and slipping them on. He then half-ran to the window, unlatching it and stepping onto the ledge.

In a few acrobatic steps, he was crouched in front of her window, just raising a hand to knock before it opened in front of him.

"You took long enough," she said coyly, smirking at him, and he shook his head as he slipped into the room.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Okay, so obviously I changed Starfire's origin story a little bit. I don't think it makes sense for what happens in Teen Titans to happen if she already knows Blackfire was behind her enslavement, so she does not know that at this point. Also in Teen Titans, they imply her parents died when she was quite young, so I added that in there too._


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note:**__ The plot thickens! And there's some fluff too. The next chapter is Christmas Eve!_

_**Songs: "**__The Woods" - Stars (really only relevant once they go outside)_

* * *

**Chapter 10**

She stepped into the kitchen, dressed in the Dick-approved outfit of fitted sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt, to find Alfred already busy preparing breakfast. It was still rather early, and Dick had explained to her that Jason would not be up yet before he had returned to his room to get ready for the day, so she assumed they had this time to themselves.

"Good morning, Alfred," she chirped, sliding onto one of the stools, and the elderly man turned toward her in surprise.

"Miss Kory!" he greeted, smiling broadly. "I was not anticipating anyone to be awake so early."

"I typically do not sleep past the rising of the sun," she explained with a shrug, tracing her fingers along some hypothetical path in the counter.

"Well then you get to decide what we have for breakfast," Alfred said cheerfully, turning to face her as he placed his hands on the opposite side of the counter. "French toast or pancakes?"

She considered the possibilities, her mouth shifting side-to-side in thought. "French toast," she replied, and Alfred nodded heartily.

"French toast it will be, then," he agreed, and she smiled as he began pulling bowls and pans from various drawers and cupboards.

"So," she began, more uncomfortable with the silence than she was with attempting to inspire conversation, "did you have pleasant schlorvaks?"

"Did I what?" Alfred blurted, looking across at her with utter bewilderment.

"What I mean is, did you- Did you have the nice dreams," she said awkwardly, the phrase unfamiliar in her mouth.

"Oh," Alfred chuckled as he went to the fridge and removed the container of eggs. "I do not recall having any dreams at all, but I did sleep rather well, thank you. And yourself?" he inquired as he began breaking the shells, the gelatinous liquid pouring into the black bowl in front of him.

"I also slept very well," she answered, smiling happily. "It is much quieter here than in Jump. Even though our Tower is out in the bay, the sounds of the city have a tendency to drift across the water."

"Yes, Wayne Manor is far removed from the hustle and bustle. All alone up here on our little hill," he chortled.

"Does Mr. Wayne possess a lot of the surrounding land?" she asked, and Alfred nodded.

"Oh yes. It assures Master Wayne his privacy and preserves the forest, considering Master Wayne never intends to build anything else on the property."

"I suppose such precautions are necessary," she mused. "Considering…well…"

"That he is Batman?" Alfred helpfully supplied, and she smiled and nodded. "Yes, that does require a certain amount of secrecy."

"What's for breakfast?" an eager voice asked, and Starfire turned to see a bedraggled Jason banging through the door.

"French toast," Alfred replied, flashing her a small wink, and she stifled a giggle.

"Well I wouldn't wait for Dick and Bruce. They're having some super serious discussion in the study," Jason said with a yawn as he slid onto the stool beside Starfire.

Her eyebrows furrowed. She was curious, of course, but knew better than to ask. Dick would tell her if he could, and, if he could not, it would do no good asking Jason. He obviously did not know what it was about anyway.

"I shall simply make theirs last," Alfred said, and the pan sizzled and popped as he placed the first slices of sopping bread inside. "One slice or two, Miss Kory?"

"Oh, I would really rather wait for-"

"Morning," Dick said, entering the kitchen as if he had been cued. "French toast?" He sat on the stool at Starfire's other side, pointedly avoiding her gaze, and she knew he did not want to be asked any questions at the moment.

"Yes," Alfred confirmed before turning to her once again. "So, what will it be?"

"Two, please," she replied, smiling broadly at him.

Alfred flipped the slices in the pan as Dick's hand found hers under the table, subtly stroking across the tops of her fingers with his thumb.

She smiled softly at him, and he returned it, but she could tell his mind was elsewhere.

"There you are!" Alfred announced, and the plate clattered to the counter in front of her. "And here is your mustard," he added, placing the large, yellow bottle beside her.

"Thank you," she said with a giggle, and fiddled with her fork, intending to wait for the others to be served.

"Don't bother," Dick said, anticipating her politeness. "It'll be cold if you wait for us."

She glanced at him uncertainly, but the idea of cold French toast was enough to make her heed his advice.

After squeezing a generous helping of mustard on the side, she began cutting the bread into smaller pieces, dipping them in the yellow condiment before bringing the fork to her mouth.

"Okay, I have to ask," Jason interjected, and she turned to see him staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. "How on earth did you end up putting mustard on everything?"

"Well, I actually began by drinking it," she explained, but cut off as Jason sputtered violently.

"Nevermind," he said weakly, clutching his stomach. "Forget I asked."

Starfire giggled softly as she returned to her French toast, just as Jason's slices were arriving in front of him.

Watching the boy out of the corner of her eye as he positively drowned his plate in syrup, she marveled at just how similar he was to Dick. They were not biologically related, and yet, they were the epitome of brothers. They also bore a striking resemblance to Bruce, and he could certainly have been the father of both boys. It was odd that such a family could have been constructed purely by the twisting of fate.

Before long, everyone had their breakfast except for Alfred, who was preparing another batch of French toast. She had assumed he was preparing it for himself, so when he placed it on a tray and covered it with a silver lid, she was confused.

"Are you not eating, Alfred?" she inquired, finished with her helping.

"I will in a moment," he explained with a smile. "I simply need to bring Master Bruce his breakfast first."

"I can deliver it," she offered, and Dick choked loudly beside her. She gave him a scathing look before turning back to Alfred, not the least bit dissuaded by Dick's lack of confidence.

"It's no trouble," Alfred insisted, picking up the tray and heading toward the door. "I can bring it."

"But I am already finished," she argued, rising from her stool and blocking Alfred's path. "Please, allow me to deliver it," she added, not even certain herself why she was so determined to do this.

Alfred appeared to be wondering the same thing, his eyes scanning her curiously. "Very well," he muttered, dropping the tray into her waiting hands. "Thank you, Miss Kory."

"You are most welcome!" she chirped back. She caught a fleeting glimpse of Dick's uneasy eyes on her before she slipped through the door, leaving it swinging behind her.

Did he believe she would drop the tray? Surely she was capable of delivering breakfast. And, if it were Bruce Dick was concerned about, well she did not fear him. He was intimidating, certainly, and not terribly hospitable, but that was no reason for her to be avoiding him. Indeed, it was just further reason for her to converse with him.

As she reached the study door, she found it open, but she balanced the tray in one hand and knocked just to be certain she was permitted to enter.

"Come in," Bruce snapped, and she wondered how someone could already be in such a poor mood so early in the morning.

He was sitting at his desk, hunched over and staring intently at the papers that appeared to cover every inch of it. He did not look up as she approached, and, as she grew level with the desk, she thought she best say something, if only to ask where he wanted her to place the tray.

"Mr. Wayne?" she said softly, and as politely as she could manage, not wishing to disrupt his obviously deep thought.

Evidently she did, however, because he snapped his head up, his eyes momentarily widening in surprise before his face returned to normal.

"Kory," he said, brushing some of the papers to the side. "I thought it was Alfred."

"I offered to deliver your breakfast in his stead," she explained, placing the tray in the area he cleared for it. "It is French toast."

"Good, good," he muttered, still half-focused on a sheet of paper in his hand.

She hovered for a moment, uncertain what to do, and then accepted that this moment would not be her chance to converse with him. "Enjoy," she said simply, flashing him a smile he did not see before turning and walking back toward the door.

"Kory?" he called, and she snapped around.

"Yes?"

"How many languages do you speak?" he asked, his forehead wrinkled, and she noticed for the first time just how exhausted he appeared.

"Of your earthen dialects..." she paused, contemplating. "Several hundred. Why do you ask?"

"Can you tell me what this says?" he asked, slapping a paper down on the desk and turning it around for her to see.

She approached cautiously, excited that he was asking for her help, and yet nervous that she would not be able to provide it. Her fears were not dissuaded as she read the text, however. While she could read it, it was not pleasant.

"Lugal-Sha-Gizzu," she said, her voice low and guttural as she spoke it aloud.

"What does it mean?" Bruce inquired.

"It is ancient Sumerian," she explained, placing it back down on the desk and turning it to face him, a grave expression on her face. "It means 'Master of Shadows'."

Bruce's forehead furrowed as he stared down at the page, sliding it out from beneath her fingers to examine it closely again.

"Ancient Sumerian," he mumbled, seemingly to himself. "Why would someone sign a letter in Sumerian?"

"I imagine," she interjected, and he looked somewhat alarmed to find her still standing there, "it is because they did not want it to be read."

He stared up at her, a stern expression on his face, but her determined gaze did not waver.

"From where did that letter come?" she asked firmly.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he surveyed her, his blue eyes boring into her as if searching for something, but still she did not drop her gaze.

Abruptly, his eyes softened, and she thought she saw the ghost of a smirk cross his face as he sighed, looking back down at the paper once again.

"It wasn't sent to me," he explained, and though she had asked the question, she was shocked to receive a proper answer. "It was in one of the communications we intercepted."

"Communications of the criminals, I presume," she clarified, and he nodded.

"That name has just been popping up a lot lately, thought it might help to know what it means," he muttered, grinding his fingers into his forehead.

"Does it?" she asked.

Bruce dropped his hand from his forehead, tracing along the edges of the page with his fingers. "Not yet," he growled determinedly, and she shuddered.

It was so much like Dick. So much. And, when Dick became some blindly determined, he often went to great lengths, dangerous lengths. She hoped Bruce would not be so stubbornly foolhardy.

"Anyway, thank you," he said, brushing the papers aside as he pulled the tray closer to him. "And tell Alfred thanks for me too."

She nodded, taking that as her dismissal as she walked toward the door.

"Oh, and Kory?" he called once again, and she turned halfway back. "You can call me Bruce," he added, an impossibly faint smile creasing his weary face.

She smiled back at him, her heart a glowing ember of joy as she headed out into the hallway. It was all she could down not to race to Dick, to tell him everything that had happened, but, at the same time, it was not all good news.

Surely Dick was already aware of the matters Bruce had discussed with her, but would he wish to talk about it? Would he be upset she had been told? Or was Bruce perhaps confiding in her, trusting she would not tell Dick?

She slowed as she thought about it, suddenly not nearly as eager to share her news.

"Hey, Kory!" she heard someone calling from behind her, and she turned from her thoughts to see Jason bounding down the hall toward her. "Dick's looking for you," he said, and her heart fluttered nervously.

"Oh…alright," she mumbled. "Where will I find him?"

"He's at the back door by the- Ya know what, I'll just take you," Jason said, laughing as he waved her to follow him back the way she had come. "I got lost in here a few times when I first came. Too many rooms," he added, gesturing to the doors they passed.

"You do not like the vastness of the Manor?" she asked, walking alongside him.

"Well I like it now," he clarified, "it was just really confusing at first. It's fun once you get the hang out it though. Lots of places to hide."

"Why would you wish to hide?" she inquired as the hallway ended and they walked through an unfamiliar room with large tables covered in green cloth and colorful spheres.

"To spy, of course!" he said, laughing maniacally, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

He was certainly much different than Dick, in spite of their physical similarities.

"And on whom do you spy?" she pried, assuming she may as well get all the information she could as long as he was being so forthcoming.

"Bruce and Dick mostly," he said with a shrug. "They're always talking about mission stuff without me. They don't think I'm ready."

"Ready for what?"

"For the field," he explained, his tone heavy with bitterness. "They think I'm too violent, that I still need more training," he grumbled, scowling at the space ahead of them. "But all I do is train! I'm running courses and simulations all the time, but it's still not good enough. It's never gonna be good enough!" he shouted suddenly, and she recoiled at the anger that flared off the boy.

Suddenly, what he had said about Dick and Bruce considering him to be too violent made a certain level of sense.

He breathed heavily for a few moments, and she walked slightly slower so as to give him ample space to calm down. He did soon enough, however, and they returned to walking side-by-side in silence.

"You know, Jason," she said as they descended a short staircase, "it is difficult for me to keep my emotions under control on occasion as well."

"Really?" he said, looking up at her with skeptical amusement. "You? That I find hard to believe."

"It is true," she assured, nodding. "There have been times when my friends have been in danger, sometimes even injured, that I have wished to search out the perpetrators and cause them similar harm," she explained, her voice growing more like a snarl as she talked. "But," she continued, forcing herself to return to something closer to serene, "vengeance is not ours to seek. It would only begin a cycle of despair."

Jason stopped in front of her, just before a doorway into what appeared to be a large, tiled room swept with streaks of sun.

"Ya know," he mumbled, looking up at her dazedly, "I never thought about it like that. About what would happen after."

She nodded slowly. "Vengeance only leads to vengeance," she reiterated, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I am certain you will be a great Robin, Jason. Once you have mastered your patience," she added, chuckling softly.

He smiled back at her, and she wondered how he could suddenly look so much younger. "Thanks," he muttered, and she nodded as he led her into the room.

"There you are!" Dick said, rushing over to her, dressed in a large, red coat and heavy boots. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost."

"I brought her down," Jason said as Dick grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the glass door in front of them.

"Thanks, Jase," he muttered, and Starfire turned to smile at him as well as Jason slipped out the door they had come through.

"Is he not invited on…whatever outing you intend?" she asked, scanning his attire curiously.

"Jason's not much for the cold," Dick explained as he handed her her green coat. "I thought we'd go outside and look around a bit, check out all the snow and the woods and stuff. We don't often get to see snow unless we're on a mission."

"And you never allow us to play in it then," she said, and he sneered at her playfully as he placed her boots in front of her.

"Are you alright just wearing those?" he asked, pointing to her sweatpants. "Because we have other snow stuff, if you want."

"It is fine," she assured, slipping her feet into the boots. "I highly doubt I will fall."

Dick chuckled. "Yea, I suppose you'll just fly. Unless I'm there."

"Why would your presence have any bearing on if I fell?" she asked coyly, ensuring the zipper on her jacket was completely up.

"No reason," he muttered, but gave her a smirk she could not help but return. "Ya ready?" he asked, opening the door as she nodded.

The snow glistened as the sun spread across it, and hung heavy on the tall, green trees towering over their heads. As they walked further from the house, small tracks could be seen, made by animals too small to even break through the smooth surface.

She spotted a particularly adorable set of bird prints, and lifted her head to inform Dick to find him several feet ahead, looking up at an alarmingly tall tree.

A devilish idea occurred to her, and she smirked as she bent to the ground, leaving the bird tracks intact as she scooped up some snow. The ball of snow collided with a heavy thump, and Dick pitched forward slightly as he cried out in alarm.

He turned toward her, his mouth gaping in offense. "Oh, so that's how it gonna be!" he shouted suddenly, and she squealed as he bent to the ground to fabricate his own ammunition.

She sought safety behind a tree, and the projectile shattered on the bark, sending wisps of white drifting past her on either side.

"You can't hide forever!" he shouted, and she screamed as she heard him approaching, already much closer than she had thought.

Darting out from behind the tree, trying to keep her movements quick and erratic so as to prove a more difficult target, she ran for a large rock some distance away. It was a more easily defensible position, and there was ample snow drifted up against it to use as ammunition. Before she could get there, however, arms wrapped around her waist, and she fell forward with a squeal, the side of her head smashing into the snow.

Dick laughed above her as she turned, looking up at his pale face, his cheeks and nose pink from the cold.

Their laughter faded to sighs as he lay down beside her, taking her hand in his as they looked up at the snow-topped trees above them.

"Kory?" he said after a moment, and she turned to find him already looking at her, a hesitant, nervous expression on his face.

"Yes?" she replied when he did not immediately continue, growing worried as he looked more and more serious.

"I… I…" he stammered, his mouth opening and closing several times in failed attempts. He sighed heavily, looking away for a moment before returning his gaze to her. "I'm really glad you came," he concluded, smiling softly.

She beamed back at him, her body warming in spite of the cold. "I am happy to be here as well," she replied, and he smiled even broader as he lifted onto his side, closing the distance between their faces.

Just before their lips connected, however, she whipped her left hand over her body and slammed a handful of snow into the side of his face, sending him spluttering away.

She laughed as she leapt up, running back toward the house.

"CHEATER!" he shouted, and she ran even faster, knowing she would be doing the paying for that if he caught her.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Note: **__This chapter is relatively short, but I felt like it contained some pretty heavy stuff. Besides, it's only a couple days until the Monday chapter update, which is the Christmas chapter! Hope you guys enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**_Dick_**

It was early afternoon on Christmas Eve, and he had shooed Kory out of the room some time ago so he could wrap his presents. For some reason, it had surprised her that he hadn't already done it, but he couldn't imagine why. Everyone was lucky he'd even managed to buy all the presents on time, let alone wrap them. Not that he was doing a very good job, he considered as he taped over yet another hole he had somehow managed to rip in the paper.

A small knock came to the door, and his heart leapt in panic as he struggled to cover naked presents with pillows or sheets of wrapping paper.

"Don't come in!" he shouted. "I'm wrapping presents!"

"I know," Starfire giggled, and he glared at her through the door.

It was just like her to make him panic for no reason, and now he'd ripped another hole!

"I was merely wondering if you desired the hot chocolate. Alfred says it is a tradition for you to all drink the beverage while singing the carols of Christmas, and he wishes to know how much to prepare."

Dick groaned. It had been a tradition Bruce's parents had started back when the Manor had hosted an annual party, and Alfred insisted on continuing it, in spite of Bruce's protests.

"Yea, sure, I'll have some," he called back, returning to patching up his latest mistake.

"Will you be concluded by the time it is ready?" she asked, her tone mocking and skeptical.

"I'll meet you in there," he snapped back, and he heard her giggling softly as footsteps retreated back down the hall.

He shook his head, smiling to himself.

It was great to see Kory getting more comfortable at the Manor. She was actually starting to act almost normal, although he could tell she refrained from using as much mustard as she would have liked, and she had so far not asked for it in a drinking glass. She also wasn't flying as much as usual, but that was probably more out of politeness than nervousness.

A few more minutes and a lot of frustration later, he emerged, carrying the wrapping supplies with him. He placed them in the closet Alfred had pulled them from, the tape and scissors going in a special box with the tags, and headed down toward the formal living room. It was the only room in the house that had a piano and, while both Bruce and he could play to some degree, Alfred was the only one who ever really used it, and mostly just around the holidays. Other than that, it was simply there because it seemed like they ought to have one.

He sat down on one of the couches, the cushions not nearly as comfortable as the couch in the regular living room. This one didn't even have a TV, and it was mostly used for interviews with reporters or when business associates needed to make quick house calls. They didn't really do much living in this living room at all, but it was nevertheless decorated for the season, just like everywhere. Alfred had even changed all the hand towels in the bathrooms to festive colors.

"Did I miss the carols?" Babs asked as she walked into the room.

"Nope," Dick replied, smirking up at her, and she groaned.

"Dammit! I waited an extra half-hour and everything!" she grumbled, slumping down onto the couch beside him, and he laughed.

"I have the hot chocolate!" a voice announced, and Dick looked up to see Starfire carefully carrying a large, silver tray in front of her. "Oh, Babs!" she said, startled once she finally looked up after placing the tray safely on the table in front of them. "We did not realize you would be here. I shall go acquire another of the hot chocolates for you."

"No, don't worry about it. I don't need-"

"It is no trouble at all," Starfire insisted, waving her hand nonchalantly. "It is merely a matter of heating milk. I shall be back momentarily." With that, she was gone, and Babs sighed as she leaned back into the cushions.

"She's really sweet, ya know," she said after a moment, and Dick turned to her curiously. "Kory," she clarified, gesturing toward the door. "She's really sweet."

"Oh," he mumbled, looking out the door himself. "Yeah…yeah, I know," he added, smiling softly to himself.

"Do you though?" Babs said, and he twisted to look at her, his eyebrows furrowing.

"What do you mean?" he asked, already slightly offended by her tone.

"It's just…she is _so_ sweet, and you're… Well, you…" She hesitated, biting her lip as her forehead wrinkled in thought.

"I'm what?" he prodded.

"You're…not," she finished softly with a light shake of her head. "I just- I'm not sure if- Maybe you just-"

"Spit it out, Babs," he snapped, pretty sure he was going to be even angrier in a second.

She stared blankly ahead for a moment before looking across at him hesitantly, her eyes frequently flitting away. "I'm just not sure you two really…fit," she said softly.

"What do you mean we don't fit?" he blurted in offense. "Just because I'm not sweet? What does that even have to do with-"

"That's not what I meant," Babs sighed, clearly regretting starting this. "Look, all I'm saying is," she continued with renewed confidence, looking at him directly now, "she is a very sweet girl, and she's already been through a lot. I just think, with the way you are- the way we all are, the way we all _have_ to be... I don't see this ending any other way but with her getting hurt."

"What do you mean ending? Why do you assume it's going to end?" Dick argued, hating Babs for fueling that voice in his head that sounded so much like Bruce, the voice that had made him wait so long in the first place.

"Dick," she said firmly, her expression softer now as she looked up at him sadly, "it always ends. For us."

He stared back at her, half of him wanting to yell at her, while the other half was considering she might have a point.

He didn't want to hurt Kory. He never wanted to do that, even the thought of it killed him. But he was competitive and calculating and stubborn and distant and she was...nothing remotely like that. He had already hurt her so many times without meaning to, just by letting that side of him take over. She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve any more hurt.

"Okay!"

A cheery voice interrupted his thoughts, and his heart flipped a little as he saw Kory's smiling face approaching, completely unaware of what she'd just interrupted.

"Here is your hot chocolate," she announced as she handed Babs the cup. "I placed the miniature marshmallows on top. Alfred said that is how you prefer it." She smiled down at them, her hands folded in front of her as she eagerly awaited Babs' approval.

"Looks perfect, thanks," Babs answered, taking a small sip and licking the dissolving marshmallow foam off her upper lip.

"Glorious!" Starfire sang, beaming. "I am growing much better in my use of the microwave. I did not realize so many things could not go inside."

Babs gave Dick a curious, sidelong glance, and he merely shook his head with a small smile, the heaviness of their conversation washing away with Kory's presence.

"Do we really have to do this?" someone whined, and they turned to see Jason lumbering into the room.

"It's a tradition," Dick replied, and Jason growled. "It's for Alfred," he added, and Jason sighed with resignation as he came to perch on the arm of the couch beside Dick.

"Where's Bruce?" Jason asked, looking around as if he expected to find him hiding behind the Christmas tree.

"Let's get this over with," Bruce grumbled as he entered, followed closely by Alfred, who was smiling broadly. "I was in the middle of some really important research," he added, and Dick watched curiously as Bruce and Kory exchanged a small, knowing glance.

"Nonsense," Alfred snapped, flipping the lid open at the piano. "You were merely staring at papers hoping for some burst of clandestine inspiration. Now, everyone grab your cocoa and gather 'round!"

There was a unison sigh from Jason, Bruce, and Babs, but Dick knew that Kory wouldn't be happy if he showed any signs of not supporting Alfred, so he kept silent. Grabbing their mugs, they formed a semi-circle around Alfred's back as he cleared his throat and stretched his fingers over the keys.

"Which one shall we sing first?" he mused, flipping through the songbook that he likely no longer needed anyway, considering all the years he'd been doing this. "Ah, 'Silent Night'. Always a good one to warm up one's voice."

As Alfred began the opening notes, Dick glanced over at Kory beside him.

She was bouncing slightly, her eyes wide with rapt attention as she waited for the time to sing, and he couldn't help but smile watching her.

The cocoa ran dry long before they finished, and the piano was finally snapping shut after what he suspected was around half an hour of caroling. They'd gone through all the classics-Kory humming her way through most of them-and were now dispersing to return to whatever they'd been doing before being summoned.

Babs, in a move that caused his jaw to hit the floor, invited Kory to play Go Fish with her and Jason, assuring the protesting girl that she would explain the rules as they went along. As Babs gave him a small smile over her shoulder as the group left, he knew this was her way of apologizing, and he appreciated it.

With them gone, it was only he and Alfred left in the room, Bruce having vanished as soon as the songbook folded closed.

"Hey, Alfred?" Dick asked as he helped collect the hot chocolate cups and place them on the tray.

"Yes, Master Dick?" the man replied, lifting the silver tray as the last of the brown-stained mugs were placed on top.

"Why do you still do that every year?" he continued, figuring he would finally just ask this year.

"Because, Master Richard," Alfred began, looking down at him with a small, thoughtful smile, "some things should not be forgotten, no matter how much easier we think that may be."

Dick nodded, smiling somewhat sadly as he understood, and followed Alfred out into the hall, intending to make sure Babs and Jason weren't taking advantage of Kory's Go Fish ignorance.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I still do not understand why you do not play with the symbols instead of the numbers," she repeated, looking up at the ceiling as she lay on Dick's chest, already dressed in her blue pajamas as they lay on her bed.

"Because that would be too easy," he explained with a sigh, no doubt tired of having to repeat it. "It wouldn't be much of a challenge if all you had to get was two hearts or two clubs."

"That is another thing I do not understand," she started, rolling over and folding her arms across his chest so she could look at him. "Why are they called clubs? They do not resemble the sticks of beating or the dancing establishments."

"Well what would you call them, then?" he asked, smiling amusedly at her.

She thought about it for a moment, picturing the small symbol in her mind. "Clovers," she decided, nodding firmly.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, fine. How about, if we ever play, we can match symbols and call them clovers?" he offered, a playful smirk stretched across his face.

She slapped him softly on the arm as she moved, sliding off his chest and resting against his shoulder, filling the space between his torso and his outstretched arm.

"What time do you believe we will be awakening tomorrow?" she asked, looking up at the side of his face.

"I don't know. Pretty early," he sighed. "Maybe like…8?"

She nodded into his shoulder, shifting to press herself even further into his side. "And what time will we be leaving?"

"We'll leave after breakfast, so probably around 10:30/11," he answered, and she felt the small shrug as her head lifted up and down slightly. "We should be back at the Tower by 1 for sure."

She nodded again, and they fell into silence for several minutes.

"Hey, Kory?" he said softly, and she lifted onto her side to look at him, knowing from his tone that this was going to be a serious question. "Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly," she replied, watching him nervously as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Do you think- Do you think we…fit?" he asked softly, looking at her with a hesitant, pained expression.

"Fit?" she repeated, her eyebrows furrowing. "I-I do not understand."

"I mean do you think we make sense together," he explained, rolling over onto his side as well now as he looked at her embarrassedly. "Like as a couple."

"Oh…" she murmured, looking down at the blanket, a twisting nervousness growing in her stomach.

"I just mean- Like, how you're so…open and trusting and-and you're nice to everybody and I'm just…Bruce," he concluded, grimacing violently.

She could not help it; she giggled.

His eyes widened as he blinked at her, visibly perplexed.

"You are not Bruce," she replied, her chuckling fading away. "You are not me either, but that does not mean we do not _fit_, as you say."

"But I'm like Bruce," he insisted. "I do a lot of the same things, things that I hate about him." He sighed heavily, his fingers grinding into his forehead, and she pulled them away to intertwine them with her own.

"Dick," she began, smiling reassuringly at him, "you are often…difficult," she said delicately, and his lips turned up for a moment, "but that is part of what makes you who you are. You would not be the person you are, the leader you are, were it not for those qualities." She released his hand to glide her fingers down his cheek. "And I would not like you nearly as much," she added, and he slowly returned her smile.

"But you'd still like me?" he asked, and she collapsed back onto the bed, content that they had now returned to jests.

"Perhaps," she muttered, giggling softly as he rolled his eyes before lying down beside her, sliding his arm underneath her neck as he pulled her close. "Why do you ask?" she added, looking up at him from her resting place on his shoulder.

"It's nothing," he muttered, avoiding her gaze. "Just something Babs said."

The silence was tense for a moment, but that could have simply been due to her own awkwardness.

She had not mentioned this to Dick, but she had felt something rather…odd emanating from Babs in the time she had been around her. She could not say it was that Babs did not like her, for she did not believe that was the issue, but she could not shake the feeling that there was something the girl was harboring. It was in the steely gaze that seemed to evaluate Kory and Dick whenever they were together, and the way she listened almost too intently to every story Kory told. Then again, she could have just been curious, or perhaps protective? Kory did not know; all she was aware of was that it was unsettling.

"What did she say that was so troubling to you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice nonchalant.

"It was nothing really, she was just worried," he mumbled, clearly regretting saying anything at all, but she would not allow him to evade it.

"Worried about what, precisely?"

Dick sighed heavily, and she knew he had accepted defeat. "She said she was worried I would hurt you. Because we're so different like that."

"She was…concerned for me?" Kory whispered, touched and considerably surprised.

"Seemed like it, yea," Dick replied with a shrug, obviously not nearly as affected by it as she was.

There was silence for several, long seconds as she tried to wrap her mind around the idea that Babs was concerned for her well-being, especially in light of the impression she had been receiving from the girl. It was certainly a shock to hear that Babs _wanted_ her and Dick to stay together, but was that truly the reason she had mentioned this?

"I would never do that, ya know," Dick said softly, stirring her from her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, twisting her head to look up into his face.

"I wouldn't do that," he reiterated, looking down at her, his blue eyes glinting in the moonlight streaming through the windows. "I wouldn't hurt you."

She smiled softly, burrowing further into his shoulder. "I know," she whispered, and she felt his hand sliding across the back of her head, tugging at her hair as he ran his fingers through the strands.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note:**__ It's Christmas! And also a really, REALLY big twist! I am not the least bit sorry._

_Next update on Friday!_

_**Songs:**__ "Christmas TV" - Slow Club_

* * *

**Chapter 12**

There was a faint rustle and a warmth of breath against her cheek as someone whispered something, but she was falling back asleep even as they spoke, the words slipping through her brain like water cupped in hands.

The muffled voice spoke again, and she rolled over, hoping the intruder into her dreams would understand the message.

"Kory," they said again, this time adding a small shake of her shoulder. "Kory!" they repeated, slightly more insistent, and she groaned in displeasure. "Most days you can't wait to get out of bed, and you're gonna pick Christmas to be lazy?"

Her eyes opened, blinking in the faint sunlight just beginning to poke through the windows she was facing.

Christmas. It was Christmas morning. It was Christmas morning and the intruder was-

She rolled over enthusiastically, beaming into Dick's smiling face.

"That's more like it," he chuckled as she sat up.

"Is it time to exchange the presents?" she asked, instinctively reaching up to her hair to check if it was too awful to be seen by the rest of the family.

"Not quite yet," he said softly, shifting closer to her on the bed. "I thought we'd exchange ours first. Just us." He smiled shyly at her, and she could feel the happiness bubbling up in her chest.

"Oh, yes! That is a glorious idea!" she agreed, trying to keep her enthusiasm at an acceptable volume for the early hour.

Noticing that Dick already had a small, wrapped box in his hands, she lifted off the bed and went to her suitcase, pulling her own present from within. She floated back over to the bed, settling down on top with her legs tucked beneath her.

There was a moment where no one spoke, no one moved, and she assumed he was likely just as nervous as she was.

"You may open yours first," she said, thrusting the present toward him, and he jumped slightly at the sudden gesture.

"Alright," he chuckled, taking it from her and beginning to tug at the tape. As always, however, that quickly devolved into ripping paper haphazardly, and he was staring at the box within a matter of moments.

"They are heartbeat bracelets," she explained, trying to remember the description as best she could. "I wear one, and you wear one, and it transmits the other person's heartbeat to your bracelet."

She watched nervously as he turned over the box in his hands, reading the information on the sides. When he did not speak, she continued to fill the silence.

"It displays the heartbeat on a screen within the bracelet. It appears as a little, blinking heart, and it also lights up if you press the appropriate button, and I was permitted to pick the colors and-" The remainder of her rambling was left unsaid as he kissed her; a small, fleeting peck that she suspected was solely to stop her from speaking.

"I think they're great," he said softly, smiling at her. "I won't have to worry so much."

She chuckled. "It is funny; I said the same thing to Raven."

They exchanged shy smiles for a moment before he suddenly got incredibly nervous once again.

"Uh," he murmured, tapping nervously at the sides of the box in his lap. "Here," he muttered, offering the gift to her as his eyes flickered between the sparkling, silver paper and her face.

With a small, excited squeal, she grabbed the box from him, forgoing the etiquette of starting with the tape and simply tearing into it. She did take care to save the tag though, which simply read "To: Kory, From: Dick".

With the paper removed, a black, fuzzy box was revealed, with small, silver hinges on the back.

She looked up at him, curious and nervous, and he merely smiled to urge her on.

Her fingers shaking slightly, she lifted the lid of the box and promptly gasped, her hand snapping to her mouth.

"Oh, Dick…" she breathed, letting the hand fall from her lips to rest against her chest.

Twinkling up at her in the early morning sun was a golden necklace, a star pendant hanging from a delicate chain. In the center of the sparkling, gold star was a small green-colored gemstone, also cut in the shape of a star, and it caught even the small amount of light in the room and reflected it back at her, like a green drop of dew nestled in the center of a golden leaf.

"Dick, it is- I-I cannot-" she stammered, none of the words flashing through her mind seeming nearly adequate. "It is beautiful," she whispered, her eyes watering for some inexplicable reason.

"I thought you'd like it," he replied faintly, smiling down at his choice. "It reminded me of you."

She blinked, her vision watery as she beamed at him. The necklace was momentarily placed to the side as she dove at him, hitting him so hard that he nearly toppled off the bed.

"It is perfect," she whispered, trying to refrain from crying as she burrowed into his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

He lifted his arms around her as he chuckled. "I'm glad you like it," he replied, stroking a hand through her hair.

She pulled out of the hug just enough to kiss him, the warmth of his lips against hers chasing away the tears.

He seemed surprised at first, but slowly his lips began to move against hers as the kiss deepened.

Too soon, however, a knock came to the door, and they quickly pulled apart.

"Miss Kory?" came Alfred's quiet voice. "Are you awake?"

"You may come in, Alfred," she said, still beaming in her daze of happiness.

The door opened just enough to permit the man's slender frame as he slipped into the room, not appearing at all surprised to find Dick already there.

"We shall begin opening presents shortly," he said, smiling down at the pair.

"Thank you, Alfred," she said, rising off the bed and heading toward the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth.

"Is that- Is that your present?" he added, and she turned halfway to the bathroom to find him staring down at the spot on the bed where the necklace still sat.

"Oh, yes," she said happily, walking back to snatch it off the bed and hand it to Alfred to see. "Dick purchased it for me."

"Did he now?" the man said, shifting to the side slightly to raise his eyebrows at Dick.

"Mhmm," she affirmed as Alfred returned it to her hands. "Is it not the most glorious ornament your eyes have ever beheld?" she asked, gazing dreamily down at the necklace in her hands.

"It is quite beautiful indeed," the man agreed, and she looked up to find him smiling in a warm, knowing way. "I will see you in the living room shortly," he said, and, with a small nod, he was gone.

With a sigh, she placed the necklace back on the bed before darting into the bathroom. Her hair was in relatively good condition, but she certainly would not be going out without brushing her teeth. As she squeezed the paste for teeth onto the brush and began scrubbing at her teeth, Dick wandered into the bathroom behind her, and she watched as he attempted to tame a patch of hair at the back of his head that was persistently pointing upward.

"What?" he snapped as he noticed her staring, and she merely shook her head, trying to contain her smile as she spit into the sink. "It won't go down," he whimpered, running his hand uselessly over the spot.

"I think it is rather cute," she said, leaning against the counter beside him.

"Really?" he muttered, still staring morosely into the mirror as he continued his failed attempts.

"Most certainly," she chirped, placing a small kiss on his cheek before passing out of the bathroom behind him.

He followed her a moment later, hair still resolutely erect, and she slipped her feet into the fuzzy, green slippers Beast Boy had purchased for her for Christmas a few years earlier as she prepared to leave the room.

"Oh, can you retrieve the bag from inside the closet?" she asked, nearly forgetting the most important part.

"Uh, sure," Dick said, opening the door and peering inside. "The red one?"

"Mhmm," she murmured in assent, and he lifted the large, paper bag out to her. "Glorious!" she sang, rifling through the packages to ensure everything was there. "Shall we go?"

He nodded, and she giggled with excitement as she pulled open the door and darted into the hall, the bottoms of her slippers scraping against the marble with her excited steps.

"Woah, slow down," Dick said, running a few steps to catch up with her. "It will still be Christmas if you walk."

"I am walking," she muttered back, the bag held tightly in her hand as it swung by her side.

"At the speed of sound," he teased, and she gave him a playful sneer as they rounded the corner toward the living room.

Just before they reached the door, however, she abruptly stopped, her legs suddenly weak as her heart began to race.

"What is it?" he said, moving to stand in front of her, a worried expression on his face. "Did you forget something."

"What if they dislike their presents?" she whispered, her eyes wide and fearful as she stared at the opening a few feet ahead.

"They won't," he assured, placing his hands on her shoulders as he looked into her face.

"But you do not even know what they are," she argued hastily, her voice growing breathless with panic. "You cannot possibly know they will-"

"Kory," he interjected firmly, and she grew silent as she looked into his stern, blue eyes. "They will love them. You always give great gifts."

"I do?" she asked softly, a faint flame of hope cutting through the icy weight in her chest.

"Yes," he reassured, smiling comfortingly, "you do."

She swallowed hard, looking over his shoulder at the room beyond.

"Now, come on," he encouraged, taking her free hand and leading her into the room, her feet hesitantly following.

The fire was already roaring, the flickering light blending with the shafts of sun across the floor, and the warmth filled the room. On a large rug beneath the sparkling tree she had been enamored with upon her arrival, the rest of the family was already seated. She wondered how Babs was able to leave her family so early to be present at the Wayne household for Christmas, but they were already within hearing distance, so she could not turn to Dick and ask.

"Finally!" Jason shouted as they approached, grabbing at a red-wrapped box nearest him. "Can we start opening them now?" he pleaded, and Starfire wondered at how youthful he suddenly appeared.

"Fine," Bruce grumbled, looking as though he was struggling not to roll his eyes, and Jason eagerly tore at the wrapping paper.

"The new Call of Duty!" he shouted, brandishing the small, plastic case in the air. "But this isn't even out yet. How did you-"

Bruce interjected simply by placing a finger to his mouth, and Dick shook his head and chuckled as Jason laughed loudly.

"Open mine, Babs! Open mine!" Jason said excitedly, grabbing a poorly-wrapped present from beneath the tree and walking it over to her.

"Alright," she mumbled, smiling up at him from where she sat, although she did look slightly wary as well. "Headphones," she said, holding up the package, looking both surprised and impressed. "I needed a new pair. Thanks," she added, smiling, and Jason beamed with delight.

"Why don't we let Master Richard and Miss Kory open a present?" Alfred suggested, smiling at them from the other side of the rug.

"Oh, yea!" Jason exclaimed, diving underneath the tree to retrieve two, small packages. "Here!" he said, offering one down to each of them where they sat on the warm, white rug.

"Thanks, Jase," Dick mumbled, plucking at the tape on the paper.

"Indeed," she agreed, beaming up at him as she tore through the paper unceremoniously, and Dick chuckled at her as he glanced over out of the corners of his eyes.

"Oh, a watch," Dick said, turning over the case in his hands as he examined it. "That's actually awesome because I broke my last one."

"Yea, I know," Jason said, beaming with pride, before turning his attention to Kory as she pulled off the last of the paper.

"Oh, it is a kitten ornament!" she squealed, looking at the black, plastic object in her hand. It was in the shape of a kitten, with an overly large head and white tips on the ears and paws.

"It's a bobblehead," Jason explained, and she tilted her head up at him, her eyebrows furrowing. "Here," he said, taking it from her to remove the packaging. He placed it back in her hands before continuing. "You just hit it on the head and-"

She gasped with delight as the head began to move, lolling up and down in a slow, repetitive motion. "Oh, how charming!" she chirped, completely enamored with the toy. There was a whisper of chuckling around the room, and she looked up curiously to find everyone staring at her.

"You're lucky she's so easy to please, Jason," Babs chuckled. "If you'd have gotten me that, I'd have taken your present back."

Jason glared at her as the rest of the group laughed, but Kory simply smiled softly.

"I think it is a wonderful present, Jason," she said, and he smiled down at her. "I am most grateful."

"Uh…you're welcome," he said, his eyebrows furrowing for a moment before he returned to his seat.

"Here," Bruce grumbled, kicking a large, green package at Dick so he would not have to rise from his chair. "And, this one's for you," he added, kicking another, much smaller one at Kory.

They reached forward, grabbing the presents from the position they had stopped in their slide, and exchanged a small, nervous glance before beginning to unwrap them.

"Sweaters," Dick said with forced enthusiasm, pulling the pale blue and grey clothing from the package. "Thanks, Dad."

Bruce merely grunted, and turned to watch Starfire finish unwrapping hers.

"Oh, wait!" Babs interjected, and she stopped, watching as the redhead girl dove under the tree to pull a small, gold-wrapped package from beneath the tree. "I forgot. Bruce and mine go together." She tossed the present, and Kory caught it deftly.

"Which one should I open first?" she asked, looking between Babs and Bruce.

"Bruce's," Babs answered, and so she returned to removing the last bits of paper that concealed it.

She found a small, black box inside, appearing to be a smaller version of Dick's, and she exchanged a small glance with him before opening it.

"Oh, it is beautiful!" she exclaimed, looking at the thick, silver, chain bracelet inside. "Thank you, very much," she added, beaming at Bruce, who barely smiled in return.

"Now open mine," Babs interjected excitedly, shifting impatiently in her spot on the rug.

Starfire pulled at the golden paper, revealing three, black, plastic squares with various ornaments attached to them. One was a clear, crystal star, another a metal, red-painted bird, and the last was a silver sphere painted to resemble Earth.

"They are lovely," she said, lifting them in front of her face to more closely examine the small ornaments. "But, I do not…" she trailed off, lifting the bracelet as well, her eyes shifting between the two.

"It's a charm bracelet," Babs explained. "You take the little charms and hook them onto the links of the bracelet. You can buy more too; they sell them just about anywhere."

"Oooooh," she breathed, looking at the charms with renewed interest. "Thank you very much; it is a most wonderful gift!"

Babs smiled broadly at her, but Bruce merely nodded as he handed a package to Alfred, which turned out to be a new set of what Alfred referred to as "serving knives".

Alfred then handed her the present he had purchased for her, which was an ornate, silver jewelry box.

"Alfred!" she exclaimed, opening it to find the interior covered in red velvet as tinkling music began to play. "It is marvelous! I wish now I had something better to give you…" She faded away, staring down at the musical box in her lap self-consciously.

"Nonsense," Alfred snapped, swatting away her concern with his hand. "I merely thought you should have a place to store your lovely charm bracelet. And perhaps your necklace," he added with a smirking glance at Dick, which did not go unnoticed.

"You got her a necklace?" Babs asked, her eyebrows rising as she looked at him mockingly.

"Oh, shut up," he muttered, and Babs chuckled as they returned to opening presents.

Alfred received a new pair of gloves from Jason, a video of "It's A Wonderful Life" from Babs, and a complete set of some English television series from Dick.

Jason got a new video game microphone from Babs, a new video game controller from Dick, and a gift card to a bookstore from Alfred, who smirked as Jason groaned upon opening it.

Dick got a new pair of slippers from Alfred and a rather expensive-looking leather wallet from Babs, which Kory eyed suspiciously as he lowered it on top of his sweaters.

As for Babs, Alfred purchased for her some books she had evidently been wanting, Bruce got her a gift card for her favorite restaurant, and Dick got her a small, silver bracelet, which caused Kory to nearly rip the rug in her fist before reminding herself that her present had been a lot better.

Finally, it was time for her to hand out her presents, and she nervously rose from her seat, lifting her red, paper bag with her.

"I-I have made a present for each of you," she explained weakly, her hands barely shaking as she walked around the circle, handing everyone their wrapped packages. She even gave one to Dick, which he looked at curiously, no doubt wondering why he was receiving two.

"You made them?" Jason asked curiously, and she nodded, her chest too tight with nerves to speak.

They all sat there, packages in hand, staring at her.

"Please, open them," she insisted when they did not begin, and she waited nervously as they unwrapped the paper, her heart beat accelerating with every tear.

"You made these?" Babs asked as she unfurled her long, bright yellow scarf.

Kory nodded. "Yes, I learned how to knit some time ago," she explained, watching as the rest of the group finished unfurling theirs.

Jason's was red in honor of his soon-to-be Robin identity, Alfred's was black, Bruce's was grey simply because she thought he had enough black, and Dick's was blue to emphasize his eyes and also to fit into his Nightwing persona.

There were enthusiastic thanks, and mumbled ones from Bruce, as everyone appraised their scarves before adding them to their piles of presents.

"So," Alfred interjected, clapping his hands together, "shall we start breakfast then?"

"I'm starving!" Jason shouted, leaping up from the rug and bolting toward the door, beating even Alfred there.

The remainder of the group chuckled as they rose, Dick grabbing her hand as they walked out of the room, the last to leave.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked softly, squeezing her hand quickly for emphasis.

"No," she mumbled back, smiling as they headed down the hallway toward the kitchen.

"So, this is the girlfriend," a sly, delicate voice said as they passed Bruce's study, stopping them in their progress to the kitchen. "Bruce didn't do you justice," the woman continued, extending her hand toward Kory.

Kory stared at her, her eyes shifting between the outstretched hand and the woman's face.

She was average height, with mid-length brown hair and green eyes, and Kory did not believe she had seen her before.

"Are we acquainted?" she said, cautiously taking the woman's hand anyway so as not to be rude.

"Not officially," the woman chuckled, "but Bruce mentioned you were coming to visit. Selina Kyle," she said, flashing dazzlingly white teeth. "You probably know me better as Catwoman."

Kory's eyes widened as the handshake broke, blinking rapidly in shock. "Oh, I-I did not know you were…" She stopped, uncertain how to politely phrase her thought.

"It's a complicated relationship," Selina said, assuming Kory's confusion, "but we make it work. Don't we, Brucey-kins?" she added, smirking over her shoulder as she yelled back into the study.

"Will you just bring them in here," Bruce snapped, and Selina gave them a small wink. "We have work to do."

Selina waved her hand for them to follow, and they obeyed, the nervous glance Kory exchanged with Dick informing her that he had no idea what this concerned either.

"There's been a new development," Bruce said sternly, spreading papers across his desk as they approached. "We've discovered-"

"_I've_ discovered," Selina interjected, leaning against the desk to block Bruce from view as she addressed the teenagers, "that these thefts you're looking into are all being committed by the same group. They call themselves 'The League of Shadows'."

"Master of shadows…" Kory murmured, her gaze dropping to the floor as she thought, and both Dick and Selina gave her a curious expression.

"Exactly," Bruce replied, shifting his chair to the side so he could be seen around Selina. "It also looks like they're responsible for several disappearances."

"Disappearances?" Dick interjected, and Selina moved to allow everyone to gather closer around the desk. "Why haven't we heard about this?"

"They weren't from around here," Bruce explained.

"Well then how do you know they're connected?" Dick continued, folding his arms across his chest.

"Over the past month, several prominent scientists and researchers have gone missing," Bruce elaborated, spinning some of the papers around for them to look at. The smiling faces of what were presumably the missing men and women looked up at them. "Their work is very closely related to the things that have been stolen."

"What do you mean?" Kory asked, feeling as though she should contribute somehow.

"These people are working on advances in biochemical engineering and nanotechnology," Bruce replied, and she tried not to betray how absolutely incomprehensible that sentence was to her. "A lot of the things that have been stolen are related to those fields. Someone could damn near build their own lab with all of these things combined," he continued, placing more sheets of paper in front of them.

On them were lists and diagrams of various machines, and she could only assume it was an inventory of the stolen items.

"What do they want with it?" Dick asked, and Bruce shook his head, dropping his gaze to the desk.

"We don't know," he muttered, and Starfire was once again forcibly reminded of Dick's obsessive determination. "But, we do know their base is here, in Gotham, and that they're trying to add to their numbers."

"Add to their numbers?" Kory repeated, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I was approached the other night while I was…running some errands," she said with a quick glance back at Bruce, who narrowed his eyes at her. "Some guy in a black suit came up to me on a rooftop. Asked me if I wanted to join his little league," she continued, rolling her eyes.

"What did you tell him?" Dick interjected fervently.

"I told him I work alone," she answered coldly, and her eyes flashed with a fierceness Starfire was surprised the otherwise gentile-looking woman possessed. "I didn't totally shoot him down though. Thought I should talk to you guys first."

"For what purpose would you need to talk to them first?" Kory asked, assuming she was not included in the 'you guys' Selina spoke of.

Selina did not answer, instead turning back to look at Bruce, a challenging expression on her face.

"Because she wants to know if she should infiltrate their organization for us," Bruce explained, staring determinedly back up at her.

"They've already approached me," Selina insisted, bracing her hands on the desk as she leaned down toward him. "It doesn't make sense for you to send someone else."

"Someone else?" Dick blurted, his forehead furrowing as he looked between the two, arguing adults that Starfire was quickly beginning to suspect were more than mere comrades. "What do you mean, 'someone else'?"

Bruce and Selina simply looked at him, an almost matching, hesitant expression on both of their faces.

"Me?" he guessed, and Kory's eyes stretched wide. "You want me to infiltrate them?"

"Not right away," Bruce assured, raising his hand to calm further arguments. "But, if it comes to it…I was thinking we could resurrect Red X."

"What!?" both Kory and Dick yelped in unison.

"We can't do that!" Dick snarled. "I told you, that suit is dangerous. It was a mistake; I never should have made it in the first place! You saw what happened with Jason!"

"Jason?" Kory interjected, turning toward Dick curiously, and he froze. "What does the suit of Red X have to do with Jason?"

"Uh…well," Dick mumbled, avoiding her gaze as he scratched the back of his neck. "Jason… Well, Jason was kind of the one who stole the suit before."

"What!?" she shouted, and he winced. "That was Jason? It was your brother the entirety of the time and you did not _tell_ me?" she raged, glaring furiously at him.

"I didn't know!" he defended, his hands rising up between them to ward off her anger. "As soon as we told him I was Robin, he gave it back. I just didn't wanna tell you because…well…" His eyes shifted uncomfortably between her face as the door, but she was certainly not allowing him to do the running for it. "I didn't want you to think of him like that when you met him," he finished softly as he lowered his hands. "I didn't want you to think he was a criminal."

"He was a criminal!" she snapped, gesturing out the doorway as if Jason were standing there. "We had interactions with him! He asked me to accompany him on one of the dates!" she exploded, suddenly remembering that now thoroughly horrifying detail. "How could you not tell me that is who he was?"

"Because that's not who he is anymore," Dick said firmly, and his eyes flashed with anger for a moment. "He gave the suit back. This is exactly why I didn't tell you; I didn't want you judging him!" he spat, and she folded her arms defiantly.

"It is not him that I am doing the judging of," she snapped, and his expression shifted abruptly from anger to hurt.

Before Dick could open his mouth to reply, Bruce cleared his throat loudly, interrupting the argument.

"Maybe you two can…sort this out later?" he mumbled, looking thoroughly uncomfortable, whereas Selina merely looked impressed.

She exchanged a small glance with Dick before they both nodded and approached the desk once again.

"As I said, I don't think Red X will be necessary," Bruce continued, and flames licked the insides of her chest at the mention of the name. "I just wanted you to be prepared, in case it comes to that."

"Great," Dick muttered bitterly, although Kory did not think he was truly angry at Bruce. "Consider me prepared," he added, and left the room before anyone could utter a word to stop him.

"It was lovely making your acquaintance," she said, smiling to Selina as she backed toward the door.

"Likewise," the woman replied, smiling warmly at her before Starfire turned and left the room.

Dick had not travelled far, and was leaning against the wall a few feet ahead of her.

"I should have told you," he said softly as she approached.

"I understand why you did not," she replied, and he looked up at her curiously.

"So…you're not mad?" he questioned, his eyebrows rising hopefully.

She shook her head. "It is Christmas, Dick," she answered, smiling at him. "It would be a waste to spend it angry with you."

He pushed off the wall, a relieved smile stretching across his face. "Well then, come on," he encouraged, grabbing her hand as they continued down the hall. "I'm pretty sure I smell bacon."

"Beast Boy would be so proud," she muttered, her heart leaping at the sound of his laugh as they headed toward the kitchen.

…

"FINALLY!" Beast Boy cried as they entered from the stairwell door. "I've been waiting for hours!"

"You haven't even been awake hours," Raven mocked, and Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at her.

Starfire giggled as she approached her friends, who were all gathered on the couch. "I apologize for requiring you to wait, Beast Boy."

"Forget that," Cyborg interjected enthusiastically, jumping up from the sofa. "Let's just open those presents!"

He and Beast Boy raced toward the Christmas tree they had set up in the corner, while Raven simply rolled her eyes as she came to stand beside Starfire.

"I did the best I could," she sighed, "but they were still shaking the packages."

Starfire laughed, watching as the boys indeed returned to doing just that. "That is alright, Raven. I am certain you did all you could."

"You better have got us something good this year," Cyborg said, staring accusatorily at Robin, who was approaching the tree, having left his suitcase just inside the door. "If I get another book, I swear-"

"I am trying to enrich your _mind_!" Dick teased, chuckling as Cyborg glared at him. "But it's not a book," he added, reaching under the tree and tossing Cyborg his present.

The half-robot eagerly unwrapped it as Starfire and Raven grew closer to watch, his eyes widening as the last of the paper was removed.

"The new Call of Duty!" he exclaimed, turning it over in his hands to examine every inch of it. "But how did you-"

"Don't worry about it," Dick interjected with a shrug, and Starfire barely managed not to laugh as she remembered the interaction between Jason and Bruce earlier.

Cyborg gave him a suspicious glance, but was obviously not terribly concerned considering he quickly returned to reading the back of his game.

"Where's mine?" Beast Boy asked with breathless excitement, and Dick tossed him his present over Cyborg.

"Here, Raven," Dick said, lobbing Raven's over to her as well.

"Thanks," Raven said as she caught it, and they exchanged small smiles as Raven sunk to the floor, Starfire lowering herself down beside her.

"A gift card to The Vegetable Garden!" Beast Boy shouted, brandishing the present in the air, the light glinting off the green plastic.

"There's enough on there for all of us to go," Dick explained. "All of us," he added firmly as Cyborg opened his mouth to argue, and the boy grumbled and glowered in response.

"Wow, thanks, Robin," Raven said, lifting the delicate, blue prism out of its box by the attached string.

"I guess you're supposed to put them in the sun or something," Dick said, shrugging, and Raven smiled at him.

"Now open ours!" Beast Boy said excitedly, grabbing up three presents from under the tree and carrying them over to Robin.

He chuckled as he lifted the first present from the pile.

"That's mine," Raven said, and Dick glanced at her briefly before tearing away the paper.

"_Sherlock Holmes_," he said, appraising the ornate volume in his hands. "Thanks, Raven. I don't actually have this one."

"I know," she replied, and Dick gave her a curious look. "I have my sources," she added mysteriously, and Starfire giggled.

Dick then opened some sort of new attachment for the R-Cycle from Cyborg, and an action movie from Beast Boy before it was Starfire's turn to open her gifts.

Raven had given her a new type of perfume, Cyborg had purchased a large supply of a sauce that she had once stated reminded her of a food from her home planet, and Beast Boy gave her a plush Christmas tree that sang various verses from the carols of Christmas when one pressed its foot. For some reason, everyone became very irate with him for purchasing her this, but she thought it was the most delightful thing she had ever seen, and nearly crushed him in a hug.

It was then her turn to distribute her presents, which were much the same as the ones she had given Dick's family earlier that morning, considering she had made nearly all of her Christmas presents this year.

Cyborg received an orange scarf, Raven was given navy blue gloves, and she had knitted a hat for Beast Boy.

"It even has spots for my ears!" he exclaimed as he pulled the purple hat onto his head, adjusting his ears into the protrusions she had included for them. "Hey, there's one left," he said, removing the hat as he lifted a small, silver-wrapped box from beneath the tree.

"Oh, that's mine," Raven said hurriedly, a faint flush of pink grazing across her cheeks. "I-I must have forgotten about it."

"Who's it for?" Beast Boy asked, looking around the group for who he should toss it to.

"It's- Well, it's yours," Raven replied faintly, her fingers twisting around one another in her lap, and Starfire's breathed stopped in her chest.

"Mine?" Beast Boy clarified, looking down at the small box in his green hands. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Raven said hastily. "I wrapped them all; I think I know whose is whose."

"Just checking," Beast Boy said, smiling at her, and Starfire bit her lip to keep from grinning as Raven blushed deeper.

Everyone, even the room itself, seemed to be holding their breath as Beast Boy tugged at the tape, taking more care with this present than he had the others. The object inside was wrapped with the paper of tissues, and Beast Boy rolled it over in his hands, unfurling the layers. Just before the last of it was unfolded, there was a loud pounding sound at Raven and Starfire's backs, and, as she turned to find the source, several things happened at once.

She was pulled roughly back, not even able to discover what was going on before Dick was in front of her, black cape blocking her view and bo staff unfurled.

The sound of Cyborg's sonic cannon came from somewhere above her, and Raven's shoulder slammed into hers as she too was pulled back.

Behind them, she heard a shuffling sound, and turned to see Beast Boy standing up, his expression slack and shocked.

The present slipped from his hands, hitting the floor with a -_clunk_- and a small, tinkling sound. Looking into the folds of the sheer, white paper, she saw a small, square picture frame that contained a photo from the photobooth on the pier, the only one in which Raven was actually half-smiling with Beast Boy after he had dragged her in there. One side of the green, glass frame was now cracked in several places, and an entire piece was missing in one spot, the green shard sitting a few centimeters away from the bulk of the carnage.

Starfire looked up at Raven as Beast Boy made his way out from behind them, and found her just looking up from the mess herself. Her heart physically pained as she saw the sadness in her friend's eyes, and she was instinctively reaching out to comfort her when Beast Boy's whisper halted the movement.

"Terra?"

Somewhere overhead, a light bulb shattered.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's Note: **__And now, the immediate aftermath of Terra's arrival, so it's still Christmas just to clear that up. BBRae is obviously going to take the focus for a little while, but I don't think you guys will mind that too much._

_**Songs: **__"River" - Joni Mitchell_

* * *

**Chapter 13**

"She can't stay here!" Cyborg shouted angrily, pacing back-and-forth in the hallway. "I can't believe we're even leaving her alone in our living room! She could get into the system!"

"I locked the system down," Dick addressed quickly, his arms crossed in front of him, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared thoughtfully down at the floor.

"See, that's exactly my point," Cyborg said, gesturing at Robin. "We can't even trust her with our computers!"

"We can!" Beast Boy interjected, glaring impressively up at his friend, who towered over him. "She's not like that anymore. She's changed!"

"She's _changed_!?" Cyborg shouted, and Beast Boy gave a small wince. "Oh, well that's great! Awesome! I no longer have any objections to letting A PSYCHOPATH LIVE IN OUR HOUSE!"

"She's not a psychopath!" Beast Boy snarled back, thrusting a finger up into Cyborg's face. "Don't call her that! She's different now; I'm telling you!"

"Just like you thought she was different before?" Cyborg sputtered, and Beast Boy's eyes flashed with hurt. "Just because you've got some stupid crush on her-"

"I don't have a crush on her!" Beast Boy interjected incredulously. "I'm just telling you she's changed now."

"And how do you know that?" Cyborg spat.

"Because she told me!" Beast Boy shouted back, spit flying out of his mouth in his fury, and the gathering in the hallway fell completely silent.

"You've been talking to her?" a small voice said, and Starfire turned to see Raven approaching from where she had been hiding against the wall, speaking for the first time in the debate.

Beast Boy wilted dramatically, his outstretched hand falling to his side.

"Well, I-" he stammered weakly, his eyes pleading as he looked over Starfire's shoulder at Raven.

"Have you, Beast Boy?" Dick interrupted, his voice frighteningly calm.

"A-A little," Beast Boy mumbled, casting another nervous glance at Raven before turning to Robin. "Just the odd email here or there. She got her memory back awhile ago and…and needed to talk to someone."

"Get a shrink," Raven muttered darkly, folding her arms as she scowled down at the floor.

Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something to her, but Cyborg cut him off.

"Well, what did you tell her?" Cyborg snapped, glaring down imposingly.

"Tell her?" Beast Boy murmured, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Did you tell her she could stay here or that she was back on the team or WHAT?!" Cyborg clarified with a thunderous shout, sticking his face back in Beast Boy's once again.

"I didn't tell her anything," he replied, obviously offended at the suspicion. "I didn't even know she was coming."

"Well, she's here now," Cyborg railed, gesturing back at the closed, living room door, "and now your little girlfriend is all of our prob-"

"She's not my-"

"Okay!" Dick interjected, and Beast Boy closed his mouth, although he continued glaring at Cyborg.

"Beast Boy," Dick continued firmly, turning toward the green boy, "you're the one who's been talking to her. You know her better than we do. This is your call."

Beast Boy's lips formed a thin line, and he dropped his gaze thoughtfully to the floor.

As she watched him, eyebrows furrowed and eyes searching, she was struck by just how old he looked. He had certainly grown taller, now roughly the same height as Dick, and his muscular structure had adapted as well, but it was more than just the physical changes. He was still very comedic, and often at inopportune times, but he had certainly matured in his ability to take things seriously. While he had always been respected, it was a mark of just how much things had changed that Dick was asking him such a question, and they all watched him nervously as they awaited the answer.

"I don't know about her rejoining the team," Beast Boy said slowly after awhile, "but we can trust her to stay here until we figure it out."

"You're sure?" Dick asked.

Beast Boy nodded firmly.

"Alright," Dick said simply, turning back toward the living room door, and Cyborg gaped after him, but did not argue.

They all filed back into the room, Dick leading the way, and Raven at the very back.

"So," Terra said, her blonde hair flipping around her as she turned toward them from where she stood at the window, "you guys figure anything out, or didja just shout at each other?"

Starfire heard Cyborg's low snarl in front of her, and she grazed her hand against his arm as a calming warning.

"You can stay here," Dick said flatly. "For a little while at least," he added as Terra began to celebrate, thrusting a fist toward the ceiling.

Her expression fell, and she searched the group's faces in front of her.

"Oh," she answered weakly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Well, alright."

"You can stay in your old room," Beast Boy interjected, stepping to the front of the group. "We never did anything to it," he added softly, and she smiled gratefully at him.

At that very moment, there was a loud bang from the kitchen, and everyone jumped as they turned to find all the cabinet doors had been thrust open.

Starfire turned to find Raven, but she was already disappearing through the door, her blue cloak billowing out behind her.

"What's her problem?" Terra muttered, and Starfire turned to glare at her, but Beast Boy said something before she had the chance.

"Take a guess," Beast Boy snapped, pushing through the group to follow after Raven.

"Beast Boy," Terra said faintly, the hurt permeating her tone, "I thought… I thought at least _you_ would-"

"Things change, Terra," Beast Boy said darkly, turning to give her a firm gaze as he reached the top of the stairs.

Starfire did not understand the significance of the comment, but Terra's eyes widened slightly with recognition, and her face betrayed more hurt than ever.

There was absolute silence as the door closed behind Beast Boy, Terra dropping her gaze to the floor.

"I will…help you with your things," Starfire offered, stepping out from behind Cyborg and approaching the forlorn-looking girl.

"No, it's fine, I can-"

"It is no trouble," Kory interrupted, smiling up at Terra as she bent to grab her single bag.

The blonde gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said weakly, and Starfire merely nodded in return as they headed toward the door.

Dick and Cyborg parted to allow them through, and Starfire gave Cyborg a stern look as she passed him, making sure he remembered it was not his place to interfere.

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Terra asked softly as they travelled toward the long-unused room.

"Pardon?"

"Raven," Terra clarified, looking up at her sadly. "She hates me."

"She does not hate you," Kory answered, shaking her head as she smiled reassuringly.

"But she stormed out," Terra insisted. "And then there was that thing with the cupboards."

"I…I do not believe that was directed at you," she replied, hoping Raven would not be angry she had even said simply that much.

"What do you- Oh," Terra murmured. "Oh, so they- Really?" she asked, her face wrinkled with disbelief.

"No," Starfire said, shaking her head again.

"But they're-"

"Correct."

"Huh," Terra mused. "Ya know…I always kinda thought there was something there," she added thoughtfully.

"You did?" Starfire asked, surprised.

Terra nodded as they neared her old bedroom. "Just a feeling I had. I dunno. Can't really explain it," she said with a shrug. She placed her hand against the scanner, but retracted it quickly as it beeped, flashing red at her.

"Here," Starfire said, and Terra slid out of the way as she placed her own hand against the panel.

"I guess I should've expected that," Terra murmured sadly, and Starfire gave her an encouraging smile as the door slid open.

"We placed the sheets over things after a while," she explained as they entered, placing Terra's bag just inside the door, "but everything should be just as it was."

Terra let out a faint breath of laughter. "I don't think things will ever be the way they were," she breathed, and Starfire looked to see her blue eyes swimming.

Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, she encouraged her to lift her eyes. "It will be alright," she assured, and Terra blinked up at her. "I believe everyone merely needs the time."

Terra gave her a watery smile as she sniffled. "Yea, you're probably right," she agreed, and then pulled away to approach the nearest sheet.

A cloud of dust erupted as she revealed her chest of drawers. Coughing, the two girls retreated toward the door.

"Maybe I should open a window first," Terra muttered, and Starfire laughed.

"I shall leave you to do the settling in," she said, giving the girl one last smile before backing out of the door.

Knowing where her assistance was needed now, she headed away from the living room and continued down the hallway.

"Raven, please let me in," Beast Boy pleaded, and she could tell by the exhausted tone of his voice that he had been begging for quite some time.

No response came from within the room, and he slumped against the door, his head pressed against his forearm as he braced himself against the metal.

He twisted his head as she approached, backing away from the door to allow her room.

"Raven?" she said softly, rapping gently on the door. "May I please enter?"

Before she could completely realize what was going on, she was standing in Raven's room, the chill of the black energy fading away as the portal in the door closed behind her.

"Hey, no fair!" Beast Boy shouted, his metallic pounds echoing around the room.

Raven swept away, her blue cloak ruffling out behind her as she returned to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Raven-" she began softly, gesturing back toward the door.

"No," Raven interrupted, her voice a low, lifeless, growl.

"But he clearly wishes to-"

"No!"

A few books flew off the shelf, flying across the room and smashing against the opposite wall before landing in a heap on the floor.

The sadness behind Raven's eyes broke through for a mere moment before they returned once again to a fierce calm, and she dropped her gaze to the bed.

Starfire looked at her piteously for a moment before taking a few, small steps and bending to pick up the splayed-open books. As she rose, the books stacked neatly in her arms, she caught sight of something glittering in the garbage receptacle next to Raven's desk.

She placed the books on the surface of the desk before reaching into the container.

"Raven," Starfire whispered concernedly, lifting the broken picture frame out from the wrappings it had been thrown away with.

"Leave it," the girl grumbled, her voice slightly choked.

Starfire held the picture frame in her hands, her mouth opening in slight alarm as she stared across at her friend.

"But, Raven," she murmured, stroking against the broken, jagged edge of the glass, "it is your gift for-"

"Just leave it!" the girl exploded, bolting up from the bed and flying across the room, her hand slamming down on top of the picture frame in Starfire's palm.

The frame fell to the floor as Raven slapped it away, rolling a little before coming to rest, the smiling, black-and-white faces staring up at them.

Starfire looked up at her friend in wide-eyed shock, watching as Raven shook slightly in an effort to regain control of herself.

"Leave it," she whispered again, and Starfire felt pain slice across her chest as she saw Raven's broken expression. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"Oh, Raven," Starfire breathed, reaching across and wrapping her arms around the girl's neck.

Raven stood there motionless for a moment, her muscles taut beneath Starfire's grip. Then, she relaxed, melting into the embrace with a heavy sigh.

Starfire merely held her, feeling Raven get heavier as she collapsed into the hug, and a muffled sniffling drifted up to her ears. Starfire did not say anything, and merely lifted a hand to the back of Raven's head to stroke a comforting hand through her hair.

Suddenly, there was an echoing crash behind them, and the two girls broke apart as they turned toward the sound to see a green bear shifting back into a more familiar shape.

"I heard you-" Beast Boy started, staring desperately at Raven as he took a few steps into the room.

"GET OUT!" Raven shouted, and there was a brief flash of Beast Boy's alarmed expression before the broken doors flew back into place with a thunderous, metallic bang.

She stood there, breathing heavily as she stared at the doors, and Starfire watched as the shaking in her hands gradually ceased.

"He did not know she was coming, Raven," Starfire ventured cautiously.

"I don't care," Raven snapped, turning halfway back toward her. "He was talking to her. He was talking to her and he never said anything."

"That does not mean-"

"And what about you?" Raven continued, her violet eyes swimming slightly as she looked into Starfire's green ones. "Where were you?"

Starfire blinked, confused. "Where- I do not understand."

"You just stood there!" Raven shouted, and Starfire took an involuntary step backward. "And then you helped her with her bags?!" Raven continued, shaking her head incredulously.

While Starfire was not the least bit surprised that Raven had psychically discovered her assisting Terra, she was alarmed at her reaction.

"I-I was merely trying to be nice," she stammered weakly, feeling very small under Raven's piercing gaze.

"Nice? NICE!?" Raven snarled, her hair twisting upward in an unfelt wind. "Why would you want to be nice? Why _should _we be nice? She doesn't deserve it!"

"Raven, please-" Starfire started, growing nervous at the rattling that could be heard coming from the bookshelf.

"She tried to kill us! And she thinks she can just waltz back in here like nothing happened!?"

"Raven, you must-"

"And now? She shows up _now_!? All this time, and she shows up right when things are actually- Just when things are starting-"

Starfire watched as Raven struggled to find the words, her forehead furrowing beneath her dark hair.

Suddenly, Raven let out an ear-splitting scream, and Starfire ducked as the bookshelf positively exploded, the volumes shooting through the air before collapsing to the ground in a fluttering of pages.

When the tumult had ceased, Raven and Starfire stood in a clear circle, surrounded by toppled possessions and open books.

Raven's lip trembled as she looked down at the floor, her arms hanging limply at her sides.

"Who was I kidding," Raven whispered, her voice small and strangled. "I never had a chance anyway."

"Do not say such things," Starfire said fiercely, closing the distance between them and taking Raven's hands. "Do not speak of yourself in such a manner."

"Starfire," Raven said weakly, lifting her face, "look at me. Who…Who would pick me over…someone like her? I'm just a freak."

"Stop that," Starfire urged, shaking Raven's hands within her own. "You are not a freak. None of us see you that way. None of us," she repeated, hoping Raven would see her meaning.

Raven merely looked away, remaining silent as she stared at the floor.

After awhile, she pulled out from Starfire's grip, backing up a few steps before bending to the ground.

"It doesn't really matter," she murmured, picking up the broken frame and replacing it in the garbage. "I don't care anyway."

"Raven, please," Starfire pleaded, approaching her cautiously. "Do not do the shutting down. It is acceptable to be upset under such circumstances."

"I'm not upset," Raven muttered back, passing Starfire on her way back to her bed. "I'm fine."

"But, Raven-"

"I'm fine," Raven snarled, looking fiercely up at her from where she sat on the bed.

Starfire remained silent and still, not wanting to anger Raven any further as the girl's violet eyes burned into her.

Raven sighed after a few moments, hanging her head as she rubbed her fingers into her forehead. "I'm fine, really," she assured, smiling half-heartedly up at her. "I think I just need to be alone for awhile."

Starfire nodded, returning Raven's fake smile with a genuine one. "I shall leave you then," she replied, turning toward the door. "I just wish for you to know," she added, turning back toward her friend, "I am here if you desire to do the talking."

"I know," Raven answered softly, and the small smile looked somewhat more sincere.

"Um, I believe I will need…" Starfire murmured, gesturing at the mangled door in front of her.

"Right," Raven said, and Starfire thought she heard a faint chuckle as a portal opened in the mass of twisted metal in front of her.

With a small smile backward at her friend, Starfire stepped through the blackness to find herself in the hallway once again. As she turned to go back toward the living room, she nearly toppled over Beast Boy, who was sitting on the floor against the wall.

"Beast Boy!" she said. "You alarmed me."

"She hates me, doesn't she?" he muttered tonelessly, as if he had not heard her.

Starfire smiled faintly as she knelt to the floor beside him.

"She does not hate you," she replied gently, and Beast Boy looked up at her hopefully.

"She doesn't?" he said, sounding fearful to dare believe her.

Starfire shook her head. "She is…upset, and perhaps confused," Starfire explained cautiously, not wanting to reveal more than Raven would approve of, "but I do not believe she hates you." She smiled at him, trying to assure him of her certainty on the matter.

He smiled weakly back before looking back toward the ground, and it was then she noticed the small package in his hand.

"I didn't give her her present yet," he explained, following Starfire's gaze.

He lifted the blue bag into his lap and reached inside, pulling out a plush toy that appeared to be an exact, miniaturized likeness of himself. He gave it a squeeze around the middle and the eyes bulged out as a strained, squeaking sound emanated from the toy.

"They were selling them at the pier," he explained as he released his grip. "They had all of us. I thought she could use mine to take her anger out on instead of…well, me," he chuckled, but it quickly faded.

Starfire looked at him, her heart aching as she watched the sadness grow in his eyes.

"Pretty good timing, really," he muttered, smiling at her in an ironic sort of way.

"It will be alright," she assured, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded at her, although she did not believe he was entirely convinced.

"I believe we are going to be preparing the lunch soon," she continued, standing up beside him. "Do you wish to accompany me to the kitchen?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Beast Boy said, shaking his head. "I think I'll wait for Raven."

Starfire nodded, smiling warmly down at him before walking around his outstretched legs and continuing down the hallway.

When the door slid open, she was met with a rather humorously awkward sight.

Terra sat on the stool closest to the door, eating a sandwich so stuffed with meat, Starfire was surprised she was able to fit it into her mouth.

With as many stools as possible in-between them, Cyborg and Robin sat on the opposite side of the counter, watching her with a mixture of disgust, awe, and suspicion.

"Oh, hey, Starfire?" Terra asked, swallowing quickly as Starfire descended the stairs. "You want some of this? I think I made too much," she said, offering half the sandwich toward her.

"Certainly," Starfire said, eager to make Terra feel welcome, especially considering the males of the group did not seem to be making any effort. "I will merely need to get the mustard."

"Oh, no, I got it," Terra said, shifting the bottle into her view. "I wasn't sure how much I'd want," she added with a shrug, and Starfire laughed as she sat down beside the blonde girl.

"Thank you," Starfire replied, smiling broadly at her as she took the sandwich. She gave the two, surprised boys a pointed glance before biting into it, staring at them accusingly as she chewed.

"I guess, uh- I guess we should make some lunch too," Dick said hesitantly, rising off the stool and walking behind Cyborg toward the kitchen.

"Yea, sure," Cyborg muttered, obviously less accepting than Dick, but Starfire appreciated the attempt.

She smiled as she watched the two boys busying themselves in the kitchen as Terra continued to eat her impressive sandwich.

Perhaps there was hope for Terra to fit in after all, provided something could be done about Beast Boy and Raven. Chewing slowly, she thought about what she could do for her friends, and hoped that Raven did not kill him before her plans could be enacted.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note:**__ Next chapter will be up Saturday because I have a big dance to go to Friday night, and that will be the New Year's Eve chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 14**

It was a couple days after Christmas, and Dick had not yet been required to return to Gotham. She suspected he was getting some leniency from Bruce considering, as he referred to it, the 'Terra development', but she was grateful for the extended time regardless.

As for Terra, they were all adjusting, albeit to varying degrees.

Cyborg had been less aggressive in his distaste for Terra as it became clear that he could not scare her away with sidelong glares, and he was now begrudgingly tolerating her.

Terra, to her credit, had been very patient with the group, and seemed to have chosen the tactic of simply pretending there was nothing wrong.

Starfire had openly invited Terra back into her life, growing more confident by the day that the girl had truly changed, but Beast Boy still seemed reluctant.

He would talk to her, of course, but he did not like to linger too long in the same room with her, and did not accept her offers to play the video games or visit attractions around the city.

Raven's reaction was by far the most perplexing of them all, however. She was still wary of Terra, but she was friendlier to her than most, eating with her and watching television on several occasions. She had even permitted Terra to join them in one of their meditating sessions. With Beast Boy, though, Raven was still cold, leaving rooms as soon as he entered and never responding to his greetings.

Starfire had attempted to get them to speak, often finding ways to ensure they had to be in the same room, but Raven always found a way to escape her traps, and had been spending most of her time alone in her room.

Starfire was headed to her room now, needing to empty the Tower of all the garbage, considering it was her turn for this disgusting chore.

"Raven," she called, knocking gently on the door. "I wish to collect your-"

A portal opened in the unrepaired door, and a small, plastic bag appeared at her feet.

"Thank you," she called again, sighing heavily as she bent to pick it up.

Raven had been growing more and more reclusive as the days had gone on, and Starfire feared she would lose her friend completely before long. Things had been getting so much better, and Raven had appeared to be becoming more open and…well, friendly. All of this progress had been halted as of late though, and Starfire could feel her friend slowly pulling away, retreating to the dark, mysterious person she had once been.

As she sat Raven's bag of trash on the floor beside the long chute that carried the trash to the basement, she heard a thump that sounded out of place in waste that was usually primarily paper.

Peering inside, she saw the pieces of the broken picture frame peeking out from behind a rather large mass of used tissues. Rattling the bag to push them aside, she pulled the fragments from the trash, tentatively placing them back together to ensure she got them all. With a quick glance around, she slid the remnants into the pocket of her skirt and tied the bag, throwing the remainder of the trash through the door.

"Hey, Starfire!" a voice called, and she turned to see Terra bounding toward her. "You wanna go to the mall? There's a sale at the skate shop, and I've been meaning to get a new board."

"I will gladly accompany you," she replied, smiling brightly. "I simply must collect something from my room first," she added, remembering the salvaged items stowed in her pocket.

"Sure thing. I'll wait for you in the living room. We'll just fly, right?" Terra asked, and Starfire nodded.

"It seems silly to trouble Cyborg with driving us," she said, and Terra smiled and nodded briefly before taking off down the hall.

Starfire quickly floated down the hall to her room, darting inside as soon as the door opened, convinced someone would somehow know what she had done if she lingered in the hallway too long.

Heading straight to her desk, she fished the pieces out of her pocket and looked down at them in her hand, tipping them side-to-side as she watched the green glass catch the sunlight.

"You shouldn't get involved," a soft voice said at her shoulder, and she jumped, a fragment of the glass slipping from her hand as she did.

Dick's hand darted forward and caught it, and he placed it back into her hand as he moved to stand at her side.

"I cannot help it," she sighed, looking down at the faces of her two friends. "I am concerned for Raven, and Beast Boy is still most despondent as well."

"Still," Dick said, and she looked up into his stern, blue eyes, "you can't force them to make up. They'll come around. Eventually."

"But what if they do not?" she said softly, looking at him pleadingly, hoping he could somehow alleviate her concerns of this even being a possibility.

He did not seem to have any comfort for her, however, and instead looked down at the broken picture frame in her hand.

"Here," he said, holding out his own hand, and she tipped the pieces into it. "I'll glue it for ya."

She smiled gratefully up at him, her heart warming at the small smile on his face.

Dick may not approve of her meddling, he may not even believe there was any hope in fixing it at all, but he would help her in any way he could, simply so she would not be so distressed over it.

Beaming so much in wrinkled her eyes, she kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he merely shrugged and blushed as she floated past him toward the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked, and she turned halfway back toward him in the air.

"I am going to do the shopping with Terra," she answered, and her face fell after Dick's. "What?" she asked, sinking to the ground under his stern gaze.

"Nothing," he muttered, turning back to the picture frame in his hand. "Just be careful."

She opened her mouth to assure him that there was no danger in shopping with Terra, but he quickly passed through the bathroom and into his own room, leaving her standing there in the uncomfortable silence.

Remembering Terra was waiting for her, she sighed, supposing she would have to wait to discuss this with Dick later.

"Ya ready?" Terra asked from where she was already standing by the window as Starfire entered the room.

Starfire nodded, and Terra smiled as she hit the button to retract the window.

Terra leapt out of the window as soon as it opened enough, and Starfire soared out after her as a rock flew up from the ground below to support the girl.

Flying out over the bay, the wind whipping through her red hair, she looked down at the water below. Her small, wriggling shadow darted below her, while the much larger, circular one of Terra's rock darkened the water beside her. She watched the shadows mournfully, remembering when she and Raven would go out to do the shopping or get the takeout.

Raven never went out anymore, not unless there was a call for their assistance, and even then she would simply get the situation under control as quickly as possible before returning to the Tower.

"You okay?" Terra said beside her, and she shook her head as she looked up from the water.

"Certainly," she replied, smiling broadly.

Terra raised her eyebrows skeptically, but did not press the subject further.

Soon enough they were landing in front of the mall, Terra settling her rock down in a free parking space with a shrug.

"What else am I s'posed to do with it?" Terra snapped as Starfire laughed loudly, but the blonde girl quickly began laughing as well, and they entered the mall with fading chuckles.

"So what is it that you wished to purchase?" Starfire asked, looking around aimlessly as she tried not to pay too much attention to the people staring and whispering as they pointed at Terra.

"Skateboard," Terra replied, taking off to the left, not the slightest bit perturbed by the attention she was garnering.

Starfire followed her, not making eye contact with anyone, and they entered a store with several, brightly colored pairs of the rolling skates in the window.

"Hello ladies," a young man greeted them, smiling broadly. "How may I help you?"

Starfire heard only the first few syllables of Terra's response before it was drowned by screams of patrons behind them. Turning, she saw people running in front of the store, all of them running the direction they had just come.

Exchanging a small, determined glance, the two girls raced out of the store, dodging the frantic people as they pushed against the current. Approaching one of the mall exits, they heard a loud commotion outside, and burst through the doors onto the street.

Cars and storefronts were covered in green slime, and that was all the information Starfire needed.

"Titans!" she exclaimed into the communicator as she flipped it open.

"What's wrong?" Dick's voice said frantically as Robin's masked visage appeared on the screen.

"There is a situation at the mall. I believe it is-"

A loud roar came from their right, and she turned to see the hulking, purple shape appear from behind a nearby building.

"Plasmus," Dick said, and she merely nodded as she and Terra pulled closer together at the creature's approach. "We're on our way," he assured, and she closed the communicator as she returned it securely to her waist.

"We must attempt to render him unconscious," Starfire said, scanning around for something she could use as a weapon.

"We gotta knock him out?" Terra clarified, and she nodded curtly. "No problem," Terra added, her fists glowing yellow as the concrete tore from beneath her feet.

"Terra!" Starfire called after her as the girl floated toward the creature, a massive chunk of street at her feet. "Be careful of the-"

Plasmus spat a rather large quantity of green acid at Terra, which quickly began eroding the rock beneath her feet.

She shrieked as she fell, and Starfire darted up after her, catching the girl by the shoulders. Taking a large swoop to the right to avoid the next spray of acid, Starfire skimmed the side of a building, Terra's feet running along the side.

"Bring me around behind him!" Terra shouted as they dodged again, and Starfire, while not exactly thrilled to be receiving orders from anyone that was not Robin or Cyborg, nodded and swung around.

"Throw me," Terra ordered, and Starfire looked down at the top of her head in alarm.

"What?"

"Just do it!" Terra snapped, and Starfire simply obeyed, spinning in the air to launch Terra toward Plasmus.

She collected rocks from the ground and buildings as she fell, forming them into sharp spikes that she propelled at Plasmus. They stabbed through him, sending him staggering backward, and just as Starfire was worried she would be required to catch her again, Terra formed a disc of Earth beneath her feet and shot back up.

Plasmus hit the ground, forming into a large, purple puddle around the spikes that were now embedded in the street.

"Woo hoo!" Terra shouted, punching her fist in the air as she hovered in the air over what was left of Plasmus.

Starfire scanned the ground, looking for the sleeping, human form of the villain, but she could not find him, which could mean only one thing.

"TERRA!" she shouted, stretching her hand pointlessly out toward the girl as she saw the purple slime swelling up toward her, a large arm shooting up behind her.

Terra started to turn, and Starfire saw her eyes widen momentarily before she was temporarily blinded by a blast of light.

"Booyah!" Cyborg shouted, landing beside the arm he had just destroyed as Beast Boy dropped him into the fray before shifting back to his usual form.

Terra pulled farther away, placing more distance between Plasmus and herself as she stared wide-eyed at Cyborg. "Thanks," she murmured breathlessly, and Cyborg merely nodded.

Their attention was then pulled away as Plasmus began reforming, and they all gathered on one side, preparing to attack.

Just as Plasmus returned to normal, however, there were several, loud explosions, and the purple mass screamed out of its massive, oozing mouth.

Around from behind the shrieking form of Plasmus came the R-Cycle, a few discs already readied in Dick's hand. He flung them toward the front of the creature, and there was a small pop before Plasmus was frozen in prismatic ice. Skidding to a stop beside the other Titans, he pulled his helmet off, his hair shaking loose from the confines.

"Now!" he shouted, and Starfire looked at him curiously for a moment before seeing Raven rise up from behind Plasmus.

It was then she remembered how easily it was for Raven to disable Plasmus, simply entering his mind with her astral form and rendering him unconscious.

Raven sat cross-legged in the air, closing her eyes as she placed her hands on her knees.

"Azarath Metrion Zin-"

"RAVEN!" Beast Boy shouted, barely audible over the loud crack of the ice.

Plasmus shattered a portion at the top, tentacles of purple stretching up from the opening toward a wide-eyed Raven.

They hit her hard, and Starfire gasped as she watched Raven flying backward through the air, tumbling end-over-end.

A green cheetah raced in front of her, blurring toward Raven's falling figure. It leapt into the air and, as it reached Raven, the cheetah was replaced by Beast Boy, whose human arms caught her before he deftly landed on the ground.

He quickly pulled the cloak away from her face, and Starfire watched earnestly as the others launched back into battle with Plasmus.

She could not hear what they were saying, but she saw Beast Boy looking terribly concerned.

Raven appeared to be fine, however, and quickly pushed Beast Boy away as she levitated out of his arms. She said something, and it must not have been a very pleasant comment because Beast Boy looked rather stricken as she flew away.

He merely stood there, hanging his head and letting his arms fall limply to his sides as Raven handily disabled Plasmus.

The police arrived shortly after with the appropriate transport device after Dick had called them, and the sleeping Plasmus was loaded in by Raven's powers so as not to disturb him too much.

Terra and Raven then began cleaning up as best they could, righting cars and reforming the streets from the scattered pieces of concrete and asphalt.

Cyborg and Dick wandered around, informing police and comforting people as the crowds slowly returned, but she approached Beast Boy, who was merely staring off distractedly.

"Beast Boy?" she asked to alert him to her presence, and he jumped slightly as he turned toward her. "Are you injured?"

"What? Oh, no," he said, shaking his head.

"Are you distraught over the damage to the vegetarian restaurant?" she joked, gesturing toward the half-melted sign down the street.

"No," he chuckled, and she was relieved to see him smile slightly.

"Then what is it that troubles you?"

Beast Boy sighed, looking up, and, as she followed his gaze, she saw he was watching Raven.

"She said she didn't need me," he murmured softly, and she furrowed her eyebrows at him, confused by the sudden confession. "Not that she didn't need my help, or rescuing, or anything. Just me."

"I am certain she did not-"

"I don't like Terra," he interjected, swallowing hard as a painful look crossed his face, drawing her to silence. "Not that way. Not anymore. Not for a long time."

Starfire remained silent for a moment, looking up again at Raven and Terra working on the road as she drew closer to Beast Boy.

"Have you informed Raven of that?" she asked softly.

Beast Boy scoffed, looking back to her once again. "When am I supposed to do that? Catch her going to the bathroom? She doesn't exactly want to be around me, in case ya haven't noticed."

"Regardless," she said, smiling softly down at him, "I do believe it would be beneficial for you to inform Raven of your feelings…or lack thereof."

Beast Boy held her gaze for a moment longer before looking back at Raven, his mouth tightening nervously.

"Maybe," he mused.

"You guys ready?" Cyborg shouted over to them, and they both jumped at the intrusion.

"Yep!" Beast Boy replied, flashing her a quick smile as he passed, and she followed him back toward the group.

"Wanna ride back with me?" Dick asked softly as he came to her side.

She opened her mouth hesitantly as she looked across at Terra.

"Go," the blonde assured, jerking her head toward the R-Cycle. "I'll fly back with Raven."

"But, what about your board of skating?"

Terra chuckled. "Maybe some other time. Fighting a giant, purple ooze-monster kinda just makes ya wanna go home."

There was a ripple of laughter, but Starfire could feel the tension. Terra referring to the Tower as home was not something they were yet accustomed to.

"Okay then," Starfire said, smiling as she followed Dick toward the motorcycle.

The rest of the Titans took off into the sky as she slid onto the back of the R-Cycle, watching curiously as Dick put on his helmet. It was not that she did not wish for him to be safe, but he always pointlessly insisted she wear the only helmet, and she was a little bit hurt that he suddenly did not seem so concerned.

Wordlessly, he opened a compartment in the hood of the R-Cycle, and she heard something rattling around inside before he closed it again, turning back toward her.

"Here," he said, handing the object he had retrieved to her.

"Oh, Robin!" she squealed, taking the bright green helmet in her hands as she beamed down at the polished surface. "You made me my very own helmet!"

"Well, I didn't make it," he muttered embarrassedly, his hands fidgeting on the handlebars. "I just ordered it."

"Regardless," she said, leaning forward to plant a kiss on his cheek through the still-open panel of the helmet, "it was very thoughtful of you."

"Yea, well… Put it on," he mumbled, and she chuckled at his blush as she slid the helmet over her head.

As soon as she wrapped her arms around his waist, they took off, roaring through the streets as Dick effortlessly wove around cars and through alleyways. They did not appear to be heading toward the hidden tunnel to the Tower, however, and she watched as the shops became more and more familiar.

"Robin," she asked, complying with their deal to never use his name when they were out in public, however unlikely it seemed they would be overheard, "why are we going toward downtown?"

"I thought we could grab cocoa or something at the coffee shop," he replied, and her eyebrows furrowed.

"But the others will be expecting us to return promptly."

"I don't think they'll be that surprised if we hang out a bit," he said with a shrug, and she looked at the back of his head curiously.

It was not like Dick to be spontaneous, and the added element of his cryptic language was only serving to unnerve her further, but she merely clung tighter around his waist as she waited for them to arrive.

It was cold in Jump, and although it rarely snowed, a cold fog had settled thickly over the city, only breaking for the occasional icy rain shower. It was enough to chill even her resilient skin, and she worried momentarily about Dick before remembering that he was wearing much more coverage than her. Perhaps it was time she rethink the traditional, Tamaranean garb.

Before she could think on that any further, they swung into a parking space along the street in front of the coffee shop, and Dick quickly twisted the key out and stepped off the bike. Taking her helmet from her after she removed it, he placed both of them back into the compartment before locking it and activating the alarm on the motorcycle.

They quickly darted into the shop, and she breathed in the smell of roasting beans and sweet whipped cream as the warmth tingled over her frigid arms.

"Hello," the petite, brunette behind the counter greeted as they approached, Starfire instinctively letting Dick pull ahead to converse with her. "What can I get for you?"

"Can we get, uh…two small apple ciders, whipped cream on one?" he ordered, and a smile tugged at one corner of Starfire's mouth as he remembered her preference.

The girl nodded and gave him the total, after which he handed her the bills and they exchanged pleasant wishes for the rest of their respective days before he led the way to a table in the corner.

Starfire sat down in her chair, watching curiously as Dick slid his slightly closer to her before sitting down. He did not often like to be too intimate with her in public, so she was suspicious as to why he suddenly desired to be close.

"What?" he asked, and she realized her face must have been betraying some of her suspicions.

"It is nothing," she said, shrugging as she placed her elbows on the table to cradle her head in her hands. She stared out at the street, watching as passersby hustled along the sidewalk, no doubt eager to reach their destination and get out of the cold.

"Starfire?" Dick said softly, and she turned from her watching of people to look at him. "I need to talk to you about something," he began, fading off as another woman approached their table, dropping off the apple ciders with a smile. "I-I have to go back to Gotham," he continued faintly, and her heart sank slightly.

"When?" she asked softly.

"I can stay for the New Year's party," he explained, and she was grateful he would at least have an opportunity to see the Titans East and others, "but I have to leave the next day."

"Oh," she mumbled, staring down at the peak of whipped cream in her drink. "Well, that is not entirely unexpected."

"There's more," he said, and she looked up at the severity of his tone. Even without being able to see his eyes, she could tell he was giving her a serious gaze. "That…_trouble_ in Gotham hasn't let up," he ventured cautiously, and she gripped tighter to the sides of her mug, "and it looks like I might have to-"

"No," she interjected, and his head moved back slightly in alarm.

"Starfire, I-"

"It is too dangerous," she insisted, her voice a passionate hiss.

"You don't even know what it is," he argued, and she glared at him.

"I do not need to know the specifics to know that an organization called Le-"

He hushed her violently, and her eyes widened in angry offense.

"Sorry," he muttered quickly as her mouth formed into a thin line. "I just don't want anyone overhearing."

"In Jump?" she challenged.

"We don't know how big this thing is," he said earnestly, leaning even closer. "They could have people here too."

She raised her eyebrows at him skeptically before lifting her mug and taking a small sip of the hot cider.

"I'm just saying," he added. "It can't hurt to be careful."

She sighed, accepting that there was some merit to that, and placed her cup back on the table as she looked at him. "What would you be doing?" she asked, knowing she truthfully had no input as to what missions he did or did not undertake.

"It's not for sure yet," he replied, drinking some of his own cider. "We're still trying to figure out exactly what they're up to. I just wanted you to know it's looking a little more likely."

"Oh," she said, surprised and oddly moved by the gesture. "Well, thank you. I-I appreciate you informing me." She smiled at him over the top of her cup as she took another sip, but he continued eyeing her rather than drink his own.

"That's it?" he asked, and she tilted her head at him in confusion. "You're not gonna tell me I can't do it or argue it's too dangerous or anything?"

She chuckled faintly as she lowered her cup, and she could tell his eyes widened. "We are both aware it would not matter if I did," she said, smiling to assure him that was not an insult. "You must do what you believe is best. Besides, nothing is taking place yet."

He smiled at her, giving her a soft nod before starting on his apple cider.

They arrived back at the Tower roughly half an hour later, entering the living room to find Cyborg and Terra playing a video game.

"Smoked ya again!" Terra shouted, pointing at Cyborg as she danced in her seat tauntingly.

"Three out of five!" Cyborg snarled back, and Terra laughed as the game started again.

Dick and Kory exchanged small, surprised glances, but they entered the hallway silently, not wishing to disturb the bonding that appeared to be taking place.

Dick placed his hand against the panel on his door, turning toward her curiously as she continued down the hall.

"I am going to check on Raven," she explained, and he nodded before beginning to enter the room.

"Oh, wait!" he called, and she stopped, turning toward him as he darted back out after her.

He stretched his hand out toward her, and she instinctively lifted hers to take the object.

"Just in case," he said, and she smiled as she looked down at the repaired picture frame in her hand.

"Thank you," she replied softly, and he smiled back before turning back to his room.

She walked to Raven's room, knocking softly on the metal. Cyborg must have replaced it while they were gone, considering the door was now in perfect condition, and she waited nervously for Raven's reply.

"Raven?" she called when she did not receive her usual, immediate response. "May I enter?"

She did not receive an answer, but the door slid open in front of her, and she entered the dark room.

The curtains were drawn, a faint, blue-tinted light washing over the room. It was then she noticed the glass prism Dick had given Raven hanging in front of the window, the source of the drifting, blue spots of color spinning slowly around the room.

Raven was silhouetted against the window, sitting with her legs folded underneath her on the bed. She was holding something in her lap and, as Starfire drew closer, she saw it was the toy Beast Boy had intended to give her.

"He left it outside that night," she explained weakly as Starfire sat on the edge of the bed in front of her. "I couldn't open it until just now."

"It is a rather humorous gift," Starfire replied, and Raven looked across at her curiously. "If you squeeze it..." she said, stretching across to grip the middle of the doll in Raven's hands.

Raven chuckled faintly as the toy squeaked, the eyes popping out toward her, but there was a sadness behind the laugh.

"It's a Beast Boy stress ball," she said faintly, and Starfire merely smiled, knowing now was not the time to be asking for explanations.

Raven sighed heavily, placing the toy in her lap. "Now I wish- I wish I hadn't-"

Raven looked down at the blanket, shaking her head sadly, but Starfire's heart jumped as she realized what Raven was thinking.

Pulling the picture frame from her pocket, she extended it toward the girl, and Raven's violet eyes widened as she looked at it, and then up at Starfire.

"I removed it from your garbage," she explained guiltily, cowering slightly. "I-I merely thought-"

"It's fine," Raven said, taking the present from her. "I'm glad you took it, actually," she added, and they exchanged small smiles. "I didn't really want to throw it away. I was just…so angry." Her voice faded to a whisper as she ran her finger across the green glass.

"And you are not angry anymore?" Starfire asked slowly, and Raven stiffened.

"No, I am," Raven murmured, her eyes fixed on the picture frame.

Starfire rose from the bed, smiling softly as Raven looked up at her. "Well, if ever you are not," she said, taking a few, backward steps toward the door, "I am certain Beast Boy would appreciate his gift."

Raven gave her the most sincere, albeit small, smile Starfire had seen so far in their conversation, and Starfire returned it before approaching the door.

"Starfire?" Raven said, and she turned inquisitively. "Thank you," Raven added in a whisper.

Starfire nodded. "You are most welcome," she said, and left Raven in her room, hopeful that at least some progress had been made.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's Note:**__ New Year's Eve! Prepare your feels!_

_**Songs:**__ "Fall Into You" - Stacey Koziel_

* * *

**Chapter 15**

It was the last day of December, and everyone was rushing around in preparations for the New Year's Eve party.

Even Raven seemed to be getting into the spirit of the occasion, which for her merely meant that she was out in the living room with them while they hung decorations.

"What am I s'posed to do with this?" Cyborg said, looking down in disgust at a decoration which depicted a baby wearing the sanitary underwear.

"Ya gotta have a Baby New Year!" Beast Boy replied jovially, and Terra stifled a giggle as Cyborg grimaced.

"Maybe we can skip it this year, Beast Boy," Dick suggested from where he was trying to fit all of the snacks into the fridge. It seemed as if he was putting together a puzzle, repeatedly needing to remove things and attempt again with a different arrangement.

"I guess," Beast Boy mumbled morosely, but Cyborg grinned as he dropped the decoration back into the box and pulled out a blue roll of the streaming strips of paper.

The living room was decorated with blue, white, and silver for the holiday, and Starfire thought it must be what living in a snow globe would feel like.

"Where do you want these?" Terra asked, pulling dark blue tablecloths out of a box.

"Set up the folding tables over there and then throw those on top," Cyborg directed, pointing toward the kitchen, and Dick gestured more specifically for her to continue the tables off the end of the counter.

Terra smiled gratefully at Dick before picking up one of the tables, which wobbled slightly as she tried to steady the uneven weight.

"Here," Starfire heard Raven say, and turned away from setting out the cups and plates to see Raven grabbing the table from the other side. "Let me help you with that," she offered, giving Terra an almost imperceptible smile.

"Thanks," Terra replied softly, and the two girls began moving the table across the room.

Starfire thought it was odd that Raven did not simply move the tables with her powers, but perhaps she did not want to offend Terra by taking over the task. Regardless, it was nice to see Raven interacting positively with someone.

Beast Boy, unfortunately, was still in the house for dogs, and Raven noticeably stiffened as they crossed in front of where he was standing on a ladder to hang the strips of paper.

Though Raven did not see it, Beast Boy faltered in his hanging of the blue strand as she passed, the ribbon rippling down through the air as it slipped through his fingers. He caught it before it fell beyond his reach, and stared mournfully after Raven's passing back.

Starfire stared sadly at the secret exchange, temporarily abandoning setting out the paper plates.

For all her attempts to persuade Raven to discuss things with Beast Boy, or encouraging Beast Boy to speak with Raven, no real progress had been made. Raven did not leave every time Beast Boy entered the room, but they still were not speaking.

Dick had been encouraging her to forget about it and stop trying to push them together, but she could not help but be concerned, and continued to dart from one to the other, hoping someone would eventually make the first attempt. It had not happened yet, but she simply could not give up hope.

"Leave it alone," Dick whispered as he came to stand behind her, and she jumped as she realized she had been staring at Beast Boy. "It'll happen on its own."

"But what if it does not?" she murmured mournfully as she fiddled with the paper plates in her hands.

"Hey," he said, taking the plates from her with a playful smile. "There's only room for one pessimist in this relationship, and that spot is obviously taken."

She chuckled slightly as he leaned across her to place the plates on the table. She smiled and nodded softly as he stood upright again, grateful for the cheering up.

He gave her hand a small, encouraging squeeze as he left, returning to the kitchen to begin pouring different varieties of the crisped potatoes into labeled bowls.

They had not always required labels on them, but ever since Jericho had gotten a rather unsightly rash on his neck from ingesting the sour cream and onion flavor, precautions had been taken. They certainly did not wish to go through that experience again, especially since Jericho had been required to walk around suffering for quite some time before someone understood what he was trying to say.

"That good?" Terra called, and Starfire turned to see the tables erect and cloaked in the blue linen.

"Looks great," Dick replied, smiling as he nodded, and Terra beamed back at him.

"Well, I think we're just about ready," Cyborg said as he and Beast Boy carried the folded ladder and placed it on its side against the wall. "Which means-"

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Cyborg laughed while Dick sighed as he headed toward the console.

"Come on in, Flash," he muttered, hitting the appropriate button on the keyboard.

In a second, the red and yellow blur came to a stop in the center of the room, a rather rattled-looking Jinx clutching onto his neck.

"First ones here?" Kid Flash asked, lowering Jinx to the ground, where she glared at him as she brushed her dress straight.

"Always are," Dick mumbled, and Cyborg and Beast Boy chuckled.

Kid Flash looked at the giggling duo curiously, but turned away as Dick approached.

"Good to see ya, Flash" Dick said, clapping a hand down at his shoulder, and Kid Flash grinned at him. "You too, Jinx," he added, but the pink-haired girl did not seem to hear him, instead staring rapturously at Terra.

"Um…hi," Terra muttered, lifting her hand shyly, obviously uncomfortable under Jinx's unwavering gaze.

"So you're the famous Terra," Jinx said as she approached the girl, and Starfire could not tell whether the tone was merely appraising, or scathing. "Heard a lot about you."

"Good things, I hope," Terra replied with a nervous chuckle.

"No, not really," Jinx answered flippantly, and Terra looked as though she did not know whether to argue or laugh. "But I like that," she added with a wink, and Terra laughed.

The entire room seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as that first, tense interaction passed.

It had definitely been a subject of concern, how the other Titans would react to Terra. They had discussed it quite thoroughly, and had decided to inform everyone before they arrived to ensure there were no surprised outbursts. Still, there were a few Titans they were concerned about, particularly Bumblebee and Speedy. It was the assumption of the group that if anyone would hold a grudge, it would be them.

As Dick was showing Kid Flash and Jinx the various snack tables, the doorbell rang again, and Starfire went to the console in his stead.

Activating the camera, she looked down to the screen to see the smiling faces of Titans East, all crowded together to get in view of the lens.

It appeared the Terra test was now underway.

"Greetings, friends!" she said into the speaker as she hit the button to admit them. "Please, come in! We have bountiful food and refreshments awaiting you!"

"I'll never get used to her," she heard Speedy mumble, and the others (with the exception of Más y Menos) chuckled softly.

"I heard that!" she snapped into the speaker, and Speedy jumped as the others burst into laughter.

A minute later, they were entering through the stairwell door, and Starfire wondered how many of the others had a knot of anxiety in their chest like her.

"Welcome!" she said as she floated over to greet them, surprised as Raven crossed the room as well.

Everyone smiled and gave her various greetings in response, but the group went rather quiet as Raven came to stand beside her.

Bumblebee was giving her an oddly severe look for such a festive occasion, and her eyes narrowed as if she were focusing on something on Raven's face.

"It's fine," Raven said softly, and Bumblebee's eyebrows rose as she tilted her head slightly.

"Really?" she asked, and Raven nodded. "Well," she began, smiling now, "alright then."

Starfire looked between the two girls, thoroughly perplexed by the interaction, but she was prevented from asking any questions by Beast Boy's loud voice interjecting.

"Oh, good, you guys are here," he said, breaking between the two girls to stand in front of Titans East, who were all looking at him with curious alarm.

Raven recoiled from the group, nearly disappearing into the shadows around the edge of the room as she made her way to the beverage table to converse with Jinx.

"I need to talk to you," Beast Boy said authoritatively, and Starfire's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him.

"Who?" Aqualad asked, looking around at his comrades.

"All of you," Beast Boy replied, and everyone appeared to simultaneously blink rapidly in surprise. "Not right now though. Go get some food and stuff. I'll find you when there's a lull."

With that, he was gone, turning around to head back to his conversation with Cyborg and Kid Flash.

The remaining group stared after him, silence hanging in his wake.

"Any idea what that was about?" she heard Speedy say, and turned to find him looking at her.

"I do not have any of the clues," she answered, shaking her head dazedly.

"Oh well," Bumblebee said with a shrug. "We'll figure it out later. Let's go get some grub!"

The mood lifted at that, and Starfire led them over to the tables, pointing out where and what everything was.

Slowly, more Titans arrived. Herald, accompanied by a loud note on his signature horn, appeared with Jericho, Kole, and Gnarrk following him out of the portal.

Kole was bright red, and Starfire wondered briefly if she was perhaps chilled before realizing her eyes were fluttering nervously up at Jericho, who appeared to be ignorantly surveying their sparkling decorations with mute awe.

"Starfire!" she heard Dick's voice call, and she spun away from this interesting development to search for him in the crowd. "We're about to order pizza," he elaborated, waving her over to where a large crowd had gathered over the menu.

"Pepperoni!"

"No, get tomatoes instead."

"Who puts tomatoes on a pizza? That's what the sauce is for!"

"You can get tomatoes on pizza?" Kid Flash interjected, and Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at him as if they had forgotten other people were privy to their argument this time. "Like chunks or slices or- How does that work?"

"It doesn't matter because we're not doing it," Cyborg said, giving Beast Boy a pointed glare.

Suddenly, Jericho appeared at Starfire's side, waving his hands enthusiastically in front of him.

"What's the matter, dude? Your tongue swelling up again?" Beast Boy asked earnestly, and everyone turned with wide eyes at the silent boy.

Jericho merely smiled and shook his head before pointing to Beast Boy, then to himself, and finally to the pizza menu.

"You…wanna share a pizza?" Beast Boy ventured, and Jericho nodded. "With the tomatoes?" he added, and Jericho nodded again. "See, I told you it wasn't weird," Beast Boy muttered up at Cyborg.

"Yea, because the guitar-playing, body-snatching, quiet guy is really the benchmark for normal," Cyborg snapped back, and even Jericho appeared to laugh along with the others, although it was difficult to tell because he made no sound.

The pizza orders were quickly established and called in, and the group then dispersed into smaller segments for conversation.

Starfire watched as Jericho and Kole sat in two chairs in the corner, Gnarrk hovering nervously behind her. Kole appeared to be talking rather fervently, although Jericho did not seem to mind, leaning forward in his chair and holding his chin in his palm as he listened to her.

"Don't tell me you're gonna get involved in that too," Dick sighed exasperatedly, lacing an arm around her waist.

Kory giggled. "I do not believe my assistance is required," she said simply, smiling at the couple. She then turned her gaze to the rest of the room, and noticed it emptier than she remembered.

"Where are Titans East?" she asked, spinning around against his arm to survey the entire space.

"Kory," he said softly, and she looked at him concernedly, knowing it must be important for him to use her real name. "There's something you should know. Beast Boy-"

"PIZZA'S HERE!" Kid Flash shouted, appearing from the stairwell door with his arms piled high with boxes.

Starfire gave Dick a worried look as the crowd converged on the steaming food.

"Later," he assured, and she nodded hesitantly before following him toward the table where the pizzas had been deposited.

Dick did not find a chance to talk to her later, however, and she was now sitting in a chair on the edge of the room, watching the clock move toward midnight as everyone twisted on the dance floor.

She watched curiously as Beast Boy sat in the opposite corner with Aqualad, but she could not even attempt to do the reading of their lips due to the people dancing through and periodically blocking her vision. Whatever they were discussing, it appeared to be exceptionally serious. They were both leaning forward, conversing with stern faces and furrowed brows.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, and she sat upright in her chair, her eyes wide and staring at the green boy across the room from her.

He was deeply distraught over the situation with Raven, he had wanted to talk to the Titans East, and he was now deep in conversation with Aqualad.

The only logical explanation was one she was terrified to consider, but she could feel the heart-wrenching truth of it sinking in her chest even as she fought against it.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked, perching on the arm of her chair, and Starfire jumped at the sudden intrusion into her thoughts.

"Oh, um…nothing," she muttered, not wanting to reveal her suspicions to Raven. She knew it would trouble her deeply.

"It's definitely something," Raven said, and Starfire attempted to avoid her piercing gaze. "Tell me."

Starfire sighed. If she did not tell Raven, she would likely just psychically find the truth, and Starfire knew it would be better coming from her in a more direct way.

"I- Well, you heard Beast Boy say he needed to discuss something with Titans East," she began cautiously, and Raven nodded, her eyebrows rising. "And…well, now he is conversing with Aqualad"-she gestured across the room-"and I just- Well, I think- It is possible that-"

"Starfire," Raven interjected, and Starfire looked up at her out of the tops of her eyes, "just tell me."

Starfire sighed deeply, looking down at the floor for a moment as she gathered the courage.

"I believe it may be possible," she paused, taking in a deep breath, "that Beast Boy is considering a transfer to Titans East."

Raven's eyes widened for a mere moment, and the light above them flickered, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Why-Why would you think that?" Raven stammered weakly, looking across the room toward the duo. "I mean, why would he…"

Starfire watched as the realization flashed across Raven's face, and she thought she could actually feel the waves of panic rolling off her friend.

"It's me, isn't it?" Raven said faintly, swallowing hard as she stared out desperately. "He's leaving because of me."

"I did not say that," Starfire hissed earnestly, her eyes shifting to ensure no one was close enough to hear. "I do not even know if he truly is leaving."

"But why wouldn't he?" Raven rambled, her hands balled into fists as her eyes turned wild. "Why wouldn't he leave? I've been awful; I gave him every reason to leave."

"You are upset," Starfire insisted, placing her hands over Raven's shaking ones. "It is understandable."

"No, I'm not," Raven whispered, and Starfire's head tilted inquiringly as she stared up at her. "I'm just…scared," Raven concluded faintly. She sighed heavily, pulling her hands up from underneath Starfire's so she could hang her head into her palms.

"What is it you are frightened of?" Starfire asked softly, leaving her hands where they had dropped onto Raven's leg.

Raven lifted her head slightly, peering at Starfire over the tips of her fingers. "Well…what if- What if I tell him how I…"

"Feel?" Starfire suggested when Raven did not continue, and the girl merely nodded.

"And he doesn't- What if he-" She stopped, her gaze shifting upward, and Starfire followed her eyes to where Terra was dancing with Bumblebee, who seemed to have taken to her after it was clear that Raven was not harboring bitterness.

"Raven," Starfire said, smiling warmly as her friend looked down at her, "Beast Boy does not still have the feelings for Terra."

Raven's eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know?"

"He told me," Starfire answered simply.

Raven was noticeably surprised, looking back up to watch Beast Boy, but this time her expression was much softer. "He did?" she breathed, and Starfire nodded.

"3 minutes to midnight!" someone on the dance floor shouted, and there was a ripple of cheers and laughter through the room.

"I'll be right back," Raven muttered, and Starfire turned to see her disappearing through the door into the hallway.

As she turned back to the party, she saw Beast Boy breaking away from Aqualad and making his way through the crowd, his eyebrows furrowing as he craned to look around the dancing Titans.

"Hey," Dick's voice said from above her, and she looked up from her chair to find him smiling down at her. "So…it's gonna be midnight soon," he muttered, taking Raven's place on the arm of the chair.

"Yes," she said, giving him a small nod before looking back out, curious as to what Beast Boy was trying to accomplish.

"You don't know what that means, do you?" Dick asked, and she looked back to him curiously, and a little offended.

"I know what midnight is," she snapped, crossing her arms in front of her.

"That's not what I meant," Dick chuckled, and her eyebrows rose skeptically. "I mean you don't know what happens at midnight on New Year's Eve."

She did not respond, not wishing to venture a foolish guess.

"At midnight on New Year's Eve," he explained, and she could tell he was checking if anyone was listening before he leaned in closer, "you're supposed to kiss someone."

Her head jolted backward slightly in surprise. "Someone?" she repeated, perplexed.

"Well, not just anyone," Dick hastily amended. "I mean, I suppose you could, but it's usually the person you're dating."

"Oh," she said softly, smiling at the floor as she understood. "Well I do not know," she mused coyly, looking out at the room. "I think perhaps I would rather take this opportunity to kiss someone else."

"I'll kill them and make it look like an accident," Dick muttered tonelessly, and Starfire could not help but laugh.

"Do you really wish to do that?" she asked, looking up at him as she thought more about this custom. "You are generally rather uncomfortable with displays of affection," she added as he looked confused.

"Well, yea, I am," he mumbled, scratching at the back of his neck. "But it's New Year's. It's just kinda what you do," he added with an embarrassed shrug, and she smiled at his endearing awkwardness.

"I suppose I could kiss you, then," she said with a sigh. "If it is so important to you."

Dick smiled and opened his mouth to reply, but, at that moment, Raven entered back into the room, and Starfire slammed against the back of the chair to see around him.

"What are you-"

"Shhh!" she hissed, swatting one hand in the air at him while the other closed around his forearm. She gave him a sharp tug, and he let out a small grunt of surprise as he fell into the chair beside her.

"Starfire, what are you-"

She hushed him again, pushing him further back into the chair as she leaned across him. "I will not be able to hear!"

"Hear wha- Oh," he said, following her eyes to where Raven was standing by the kitchen counter, standing on the tips of her toes as she looked over the dance floor.

"Raven!" someone yelled, and Starfire and Dick turned in unison to find Beast Boy pushing his way through the crowd.

They then turned back to Raven, who relaxed with relief as she caught sight of him.

"Beast Boy," she said as he made his way to her, and Starfire tried to be as inconspicuous as possible by not looking directly at them.

"I need to talk to you," Beast Boy began, but Raven shook her head at him.

"No, I need to tell you something first," Raven insisted, and Beast Boy's eyebrows furrowed.

Raven suddenly seemed to get exceptionally nervous, her hands fiddling with something on the inside of her cloak as she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Raven, what do you-"

"Here," she blurted, her hands sliding from her cloak and stretching out toward him.

Starfire leaned a few inches closer, squinting her eyes as if to improve her vision. One of the lights happened to pass across them, and she saw something glinting green in Raven's palm.

Starfire squealed softly, bouncing slightly in the chair as she gripped tighter onto Dick's arm.

"What?" he hissed. "What is it?"

"The picture that was intended to be his Christmas present," she replied hastily, not wanting to be talking when they continued.

"Oh," Dick whispered back before turning to watch the conversation again.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't give it to you sooner," Raven muttered, staring down at the gift. "I was just so angry at you. But I-I'm not anymore and I…I don't want you to go," she finished softly, and Starfire understood the words more from the way her mouth moved than anything else.

"Go?" Beast Boy repeated, shaking his head in a perplexed sort of way.

"Transfer to Titans East," Raven clarified, and Starfire felt Dick shift beside her. "I-I know I've been…difficult lately, but I never meant to- I never wanted you to-"

"Raven," Beast Boy interjected, smiling at her as he placed his hand over hers, covering the picture frame. "I'm not leaving the Titans."

Raven recoiled slightly, her head tilting in nearly the exact same way Starfire's was right now.

"You're not?" she asked, and Beast Boy shook his head. "But…you were talking to them. And then Aqualad-" she stammered, looking over his shoulder in the direction of where they had been sitting.

"I _was_ talking to them about transferring," he said, and something in Starfire's chest toppled, "but I wasn't talking about me."

Starfire watched as Raven's eyebrows furrowed in unison with hers, but Raven's eyes widened in understanding before Starfire had any idea what was going on.

"Terra?" Raven guessed breathlessly, and Beast Boy nodded as Starfire's mouth fell open.

Dick, however, cleared his throat, and she turned to him accusatorily.

"You knew?" she angrily presumed, and he looked over at her guiltily.

"I was going to tell you," he defended quickly, but she merely rolled her eyes, having more important things to focus on at the moment.

"I thought she might fit better with them," Beast Boy explained, looking over his shoulder at where Terra was now dancing with Aqualad. "Besides," he murmured, "I think Aqualad's taken a liking to her."

"Oh…" Raven said faintly, watching the dancing couple that Starfire was now also staring incredulously at. "Well," she continued, her voice slightly higher than normal as she stared down at where their hands were still intertwined, "this is…mortifying."

Beast Boy chuckled, pulling one of his hands away to tap it under Raven's chin, prompting her to reluctantly lift her eyes.

"Countdown's started!" what sounded like Kid Flash yelled, and Starfire jumped, forgetting there was something going on apart from this.

"10!" a chorus of voices shouted.

"Raven," Beast Boy said gently, but she could not seem to continue looking at him.

"9!"

"Let's just pretend I never said anything," Raven muttered.

"8!"

"Raven?"

"It was just a big misunderstanding."

"7!"

"It was, but-"

"6!"

"You're not leaving, I thought you were."

"5!"

"Raven?"

"So now that that's cleared up-"

"4!"

"-we can just pretend I didn't make a complete-"

"3!"

"RAVEN!" Beast Boy shouted, and her violet eyes shot open in shock as she finally looked at him.

"2!"

"I don't want to pretend it never happened," Beast Boy said softly, his hand stretching up her cheek and into her hair.

"1!"

Their still-intertwined hands holding the picture frame shifted to the side as Beast Boy stepped forward, and Raven's eyes fluttered closed.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone shouted, except for Starfire and Dick, who were frozen as they stared at what Starfire was relatively certain was a hallucination.

Just as she was considering the possibility it could be real, it was over, and the newly-realized couple pulled shyly apart, Raven apparently just as frozen in shock as she was.

After a moment, she seemed to return to her senses, and blinked a few times in rapid succession before stepping slightly further back, letting her fingers slide away to leave the picture frame in Beast Boy's hand.

The two stood there, staring at one another for what felt like an eternal second before Beast Boy opened his mouth.

"Hey, BB!" Cyborg shouted, and all four of the other Titans jumped at the intrusion into the moment Raven and Beast Boy were not aware they had invited themselves into. "You wanna get the movie started?"

"Um, yea, sure," Beast Boy called back, needing to cough halfway through to clear his throat. "I'll, uh…talk to you later?" Beast Boy mumbled, giving Raven a shy smile.

"Sure," Raven answered faintly, still seeming thoroughly dazed, but Beast Boy appeared satisfied enough with that answer as he turned and headed toward the television. She then simply stood there, staring after him and still blinking more than necessary.

Starfire suddenly sucked in a breath, not realizing she had stopped. Her mouth was still gaping slightly as Dick turned to look at her.

"Ya know, of all the ways that could've gone," he said slowly, "I was not expecting that one."

They stared at one another for a moment before dissolving into surreptitious laughter, Starfire having no idea what else to do with the flurry of emotions bouncing around her chest.

From above, someone loudly cleared their throat, and Starfire and Dick abruptly stopped laughing, looking up guiltily like two schoolchildren that had just been scolded.

"If you're done," Raven said, her tone heavy with sarcasm, "I need to talk to you."

Starfire tried to contain her grin as she nodded, rising off the chair and starting to follow Raven toward the hallway door.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, stopping and turning abruptly as she remembered.

Placing her hands on the arm of the chair, she leaned down, catching Dick by surprise as she placed her lips against his.

"Happy New Year," she whispered as they broke apart, giggling softly at his dazed expression as she floated away after Raven.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Author's Note: **__Terribly sorry this chapter has taken so long. I have been dealing with some pretty serious medical issues these past couple weeks, but I am fine now, and I can assure you a delay like this will not happen again. I sincerely thank you for your patience._

* * *

**Chapter 16**

It was a couple days after the New Year's Eve celebration, and the day Terra was going to be leaving them to move in with Titans East.

Dick had been required to return to Gotham the morning after the party, so he had said his farewells early, but everyone else was assisting Terra with packing the last of her belongings.

Titans East were expecting her in half of an hour, but Terra was eager to arrive as soon as possible, and was thus hurriedly stuffing things into her various bags. She had been doing the video chatting with Aqualad more than Starfire thought was necessary for arranging the transfer since the party, and she suspected that was a factor in Terra's haste.

"Where do you want this?" Raven asked, holding up a folded blanket.

"The red one," Terra replied, pointing at a large bag to her right, and Raven nodded as she placed the blanket inside.

"Uh, what about this?" Beast Boy muttered, holding up a ragged, plush bear by the arm.

"Gimme that!" Terra snapped, grabbing the bear out of his hands and hiding it against her chest, her cheeks turning pink.

There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence in the room before Beast Boy coughed through a chuckle, and that was enough to send everyone else into laughter.

"Oh, like you guys don't have stuff from when you were kids!" Terra snapped, now red as she gently placed the bear inside of a blue bag beside her.

"Oh, Terra, it is alright," Starfire said, trying to stop her giggling as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I have a blanket from when I was a child."

"You do?" Raven asked as she placed Terra's lamp into a cardboard box with other items from the desk.

Starfire nodded. "It is not in pristine condition," she admitted with a shrug, "but I have kept a portion of it."

"A portion?" Cyborg questioned from the corner where he was lifting a chair to look underneath.

"Well, it was badly damaged in the fire…" she replied softly, and there was a moment of silence before everyone returned to their various tasks with renewed urgency.

Starfire was not intentionally secretive about her life on Tamaran, it merely did not surface in conversation very often. Perhaps, even unintentionally, she avoided bringing it up. It was a long time ago, but it was still difficult to talk about, and she did not wish to make anyone uncomfortable.

She was not the most secretive Titan in the room, however.

As far as she was aware, Raven and Beast Boy had not informed anyone of their relationship. She could not be certain it had not been discussed privately with Cyborg and Terra, but considering the lack of Cyborg's taunting, she doubted Beast Boy had told him.

When she had asked Raven about it the day after New Year's Eve, the girl had merely turned pink and said that she thought it would be more appropriate for Beast Boy to inform Cyborg, if he chose to. It sounded like an evasive excuse to Starfire, but she supposed it did make more sense for the information to come from Beast Boy.

She hoped that he would be told soon, however. It would be rather uncomfortable if Cyborg somehow found out on his own, although Beast Boy and Raven were being very careful in that regard.

They did not spend much time alone, aside from brief periods in the morning before the other Titans were awake. Starfire suspected Beast Boy had been purposefully awakening earlier to spend this time with Raven, and Starfire was staying in her room later than usual to give them all the time she could.

Apart from these mornings, however, the only difference in the behavior of the new couple was that they tended to sit together watching television, or when the Titans went out for meals, but that was not particularly unusual unless one happened to be looking for it, which Starfire was. She and Raven would often exchange small, secret smiles across the table, which usually ended in Starfire getting a small kick, but she did not care. She was happy for her friends, and she did not see the need to hide it.

"Found a shoe under the bed," Cyborg said, tossing the sneaker toward Terra as he set the bed back down on the floor with a small rattle that gently shook the floor.

"Awesome, I was looking for that!" Terra said, shoving the shoe into a suitcase in front of her. "I thought I'd have to go with just one."

"Well that wouldn't do much good," Beast Boy said with a smile, and Terra sneered at him.

"I think that's just about everything," Raven said, rising from her spot in the middle of the chaos and carefully stepping around the clutter toward the door. She wobbled at one point, teetering on her one, planted foot before Beast Boy stretched across from his spot and caught her hand in his, steadying her.

"Woah there," Beast Boy chuckled, and Raven found an open space for her other foot and straightened. "Ya good?" he asked, smiling up at her.

"Yea," she said hesitantly, looking down at her feet as if to make sure. "Yea, I got it," she added, smiling back at him as he released her hand.

"There's still my stuff in the bathroom," Terra said, taking large steps through her belongings in order to grab an empty bag before heading toward the door. "Can you two help me real quick?" she added with a backward glance at Raven and Starfire.

"Certainly," Starfire answered, floating up over the mess, and Raven merely nodded as she followed.

The trio of girls walked out into the hallway, leaving the boys sitting awkwardly in the mess of Terra's belongings, not knowing quite what to do or what to touch.

"So," Raven said as they entered the bathroom Terra had been sharing with the other Titans, "what stuff do you need?"

"Oh, I got most of my stuff out of here already," Terra answered with a shrug, grabbing a toothbrush and hairbrush off the counter and tossing them in the bag. "I just wanted to talk to you guys real quick."

"Oh," Raven muttered in surprise as Starfire hovered uncomfortably in the bathroom doorway. "About what?"

Terra smiled in an odd, knowing sort of way. "You and Beast Boy," she answered simply, and Raven's eyes widened. "I know. Known for a while, actually. When did it start, New Year's Eve?"

"Uh…" Raven murmured, her eyes shifting between Terra and Starfire with nervous uncertainty.

Terra smiled as she turned, opening the cabinet over the sink and pulling her toothpaste from within.

"You could've just told me, ya know," Terra said. "It was getting really awkward pretending not to know."

"I-I-" Raven stammered, still looking thoroughly lost in shock.

"You thought it'd bother me. I get it," Terra interjected with a shrug as she slipped the toothpaste into the bag, the plastic crinkling as the tube clicked against the hairbrush. "I just wanted you to know that it doesn't. At all," Terra added firmly with a reassuring smile.

Raven seemed to finally regain her faculties, and returned Terra's smile with a small one of her own.

"Thanks," Raven mumbled, her hands twisting uncomfortably in front of her.

"Sure thing," Terra replied with a small wink. "Besides," she sighed exaggeratedly, "I'm gonna be a sophisticated, East Coast girl now. I don't have time for these West Coast boys."

"No, you only have time for Aqualad," Raven said with a smirk, and Terra smiled shyly into a blush as Starfire laughed.

"Speaking of which," Raven continued, "if you're ready, I can take you whenever."

"Alright," Terra said with an eager nod, and the group exited the bathroom to find Cyborg and Beast Boy coming toward them.

"That's all you needed?" Beast Boy asked, gesturing at the bag in Terra's hand.

"I thought it was more," Terra replied, dismissing the query with a shrug.

"Guess it's true," Cyborg muttered. "Girls do have to go to the bathroom in groups."

Beast Boy laughed, and Terra shook her head as Raven gave the boys a withering look.

"Is it customary on Earth for girls to have company in the bathroom?" Starfire asked, alarmed. "I apologize," she said hurriedly to Raven and Terra. "I did not know."

"It's not customary, Star," Raven assured, and Starfire tilted her head confusedly as Cyborg and Beast Boy laughed loudly. "It's just misogynistic," she added, glaring at the boys, who immediately sank into stifled chuckles.

"Come on," Terra said, beaming with excitement as she nodded toward her room. "Let's go."

"Can't keep Aqualad waiting," Raven mumbled so only the girls could hear, and Starfire choked on a giggle as Terra gave Raven a playful glare over her shoulder.

"Can you bring it all in one trip?" Beast Boy asked as the door opened, peering around the doorframe and looking doubtfully at the multitude of suitcases.

"Yea," Raven dismissed simply, standing beside Terra. "It'll be fine."

There was silence for a moment, Starfire standing with the two boys in the doorway as they regarded the departing girl.

"Well," Terra murmured, looking down at her feet as she kicked them against the carpet. "I- It's been-" She trailed off, looking up at them with pleading eyes, and Starfire's immediately watered.

"Oh!" she blurted, diving through the boys and flying into Terra's chest. "Oh, Terra, I will miss you terribly."

"Star," Terra chuckled, patting her back, "we can still talk. And you can always visit me if you're ever in Gotham again."

"I know," Starfire whimpered into the girl's shoulder, "but it will not be the same."

Terra laughed softly, giving Starfire a small squeeze before releasing her, and they exchanged smiles as Starfire retreated back to the doorway.

"Don't be a stranger," Cyborg said simply, giving Terra a quick nod as he approached, and she returned it with a smile.

Beast Boy then took a few cautious steps forward, and Raven took an almost imperceptible step to the side to allow them more space.

They stood there simply regarding one another for a moment before Beast Boy extended his hand.

"Take care of yourself," he said firmly, and it sounded so oddly formal in his voice.

Terra smiled, but batted his hand to the side and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Beast Boy appeared momentarily surprised, but then smiled faintly as he gingerly wrapped his arms around her back.

They exchanged small smiles as the embrace ended, and Beast Boy backed away to return to the doorway.

"Alright," Terra said, clearing her throat loudly as she turned to Raven. "Let's get out of here before I cry."

Raven smiled, and the rest of the Titans chuckled softly as Terra drew closer to Raven's side.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Raven said, and her gaze seemed to linger longer on Beast Boy than the others.

The trio in the door bade final goodbyes as black swirled around the room, and Terra vanished with a smile, leaving the room looking somehow so much larger in the absence of her presence.

The Titans lingered in the doorway for a moment before Cyborg sighed.

"Well," he said, turning away and walking past them into the hall, "I'm gonna go work on the T-Car for a bit. You wanna help?" he directed at Beast Boy.

"Maybe in a bit," he replied, looking back into the empty room.

"You gonna wait for your girlfriend?" Cyborg teased, and Starfire tried her best not to react.

Beast Boy simply turned and looked up at him. "Yea," he said firmly, "I am."

Starfire's mouth fell open, and she watched as Cyborg tilted his head slightly, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Really?" he asked, and Starfire wondered if she should find an excuse to leave so they could discuss this.

Beast Boy merely nodded.

Cyborg regarded him for a moment before nodding approvingly, a smirk stretching across his face.

"Well alright," Cyborg said, cupping Beast Boy on the shoulder before walking away down the hall.

Starfire stared mutely after him, her shoulders slumped in shock.

"That- That is it?" she breathed, her hand gesturing weakly after Cyborg.

"What?" Beast Boy said, his forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"That is how you tell him about you and Raven's relationship?" she clarified, her voice slightly higher than usual.

"Well yea," Beast Boy replied, as if she were absurd for asking.

Starfire blinked at him, small, strangled sounds escaping her as she searched for the words.

"It's different with guys," Beast Boy explained with a shrug. "We don't really make a big deal about this kinda stuff."

"Evidently not," she said, laughing in spite of being perplexed.

Beast Boy chuckled with her before turning back to the bedroom.

Starfire grazed her hand against his arm with a small smile as she left, not wanting to interfere once Raven returned.

She walked down the hallway to her own room, immediately opening her computer as she sat down at her desk.

While she was blissfully happy for her friends, Beast Boy and Raven's blossoming relationship did make her miss Dick more than usual, but he was not online.

He had hardly spoken to her at all since he had left, and she was growing more and more suspicious that he was being dishonest with her about why.

With a sigh, she closed the computer again, rising from the chair and collapsing onto her bed. She reached across the mattress, grabbing a sleeve of Dick's shirt and tugging it toward her. Curling her legs up in front of her, she pressed the fabric to her chest and breathed in the fading scent. She lifted her arm slightly, watching the black heart in her bracelet blinking in time with his heartbeat a thousand miles away.

"Be safe," she whispered, willing it to be true.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Dick_**

"Good," Dick said, stopping the timer on the watch he was wearing just above Starfire's bracelet. "Now run it again."

"What?" Jason snapped between gasps for breath, his hands on his knees as he looked up at Dick through sweating strands of hair that hung in his eyes. "I've done it four times already!"

"And you're still nowhere near Bruce's time," Dick replied curtly, and Jason glared at him.

"Yea, well I'm never gonna beat-"

"Or mine," Dick added, and Jason muttered something Dick was sure contained a profanity.

"Why does this stupid course matter anyway?" Jason grumbled, gesturing backward to the series of obstacles.

"It's supposed to keep you from getting killed," Dick answered tiredly, marking Jason's latest time on the clipboard.

"I'm not going to get killed," Jason snarled, his breathing returning to normal. "I don't need to keep doing this crap; I'm ready."

"Oh really?" Dick replied smugly, tucking the clipboard underneath his arm. Reaching forward in barely the blink of an eye, he grabbed Jason by the shoulder, tugging him forward as he moved to the side.

As Jason passed in front of him, he caught Jason's foot with one of his own and spun him, releasing his grip on his shoulder to grab the front of the boy's shirt.

"What the hell!?" Jason blurted as he came to a halt, dangling in the air, held up only by Dick's grip on his stretching, white t-shirt.

"Always be prepared," Dick said evenly as he released Jason, and the boy stumbled backward as he steadied himself.

"I'm in my own house!" Jason spat as he brushed his shirt down his chest.

"Criminals have attacked us in the Tower before," Dick replied, folding his arms across his chest as he returned the clipboard to his hand.

"I'm with _you_," Jason added, gesturing toward him angrily.

"Doesn't matter," Dick muttered back, shaking his head. "You should always be on your guard."

"Even with my own brother?" Jason snarled, and Dick's eyelids fluttered in surprise. "Honestly, you sound more like Bruce every day," he added with a disapproving shake of his head, storming past Dick and toward the door.

Dick was too taken aback to reply, and by the time he came up with anything to say, Jason was already pushing through the door, passing a rather confused-looking Bruce on his way out.

"What's gotten into him?" Bruce mumbled as he approached, taking a sip of what Dick assumed from the smell was coffee.

Dick sighed heavily, grinding the fingers of his free hand into his forehead. "I think I took the training exercise a little far," he mumbled.

Bruce chuckled as he took another swig from his mug. "Yea, we have that in common."

"That's pretty much what Jason said," Dick sighed, and handed the clipboard up to Bruce as he reached down for it.

"Still not hitting the mark," Bruce mumbled, shaking his head as his eyes scanned down the times.

"What's the mark?" Dick asked, unaware that there was a specific time he was supposed to be training Jason for.

"Five seconds over your time," Bruce muttered, taking another sip of his coffee as he avoided Dick's gaze.

"Over my time?" Dick repeated, his eyebrows furrowing as he took the clipboard back. "Why over?"

Bruce shrugged as he started to walk away. "Realistic expectations," he murmured, his back to Dick as he headed toward the door.

"Was that a compliment?" Dick called after him, smirking as Bruce pretended not to have heard him. Shaking his head as he chuckled, Dick looked back down at the clipboard thoughtfully.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Bruce said, and Dick looked up to find him stopped halfway to the door. "I meant to talk to you about the- uh- _project_ we were considering taking on," he stressed, his eyebrows rising with significance.

"What about it?" Dick asked, lowering his voice as Bruce drew closer once again.

"I think considering has become planning," Bruce said simply, his eyes stern.

Dick's mouth pressed into a thin, nervous line. "Something else happen?"

"More robberies," Bruce replied, his gaze shifting over his shoulder for a moment to check the door. "They're getting bolder every time. Killed a security guard at the last one."

Dick's forehead wrinkled as he looked off to the side, feeling guilty for a murder he logically knew he'd had no control over.

"When?" he asked simply, looking back up at Bruce determinedly.

"Not for a while yet," Bruce answered with a small shake of his head. "We gotta gather some intel first. I just wanted you to be prepared."

Dick nodded, but a thought occurred to him as Bruce was leaving that caused him to call back out.

"Bruce," he said, and his father turned halfway around.

Dick took a few steps forward to close the distance between them.

"What about Kory?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"What about her?" Bruce asked, his face perplexed.

"Well…what do I tell her?" Dick clarified, confused as to how that wasn't obvious.

Bruce turned fully back to face him, looking down with the signature, emotionless, Batman gaze. "Nothing," he growled, and swept out of the room, leaving a disappointed-although not surprised-Dick in his wake.

After a moment, Dick sighed and headed out of the room, leaving the clipboard hanging on the designated hook just inside the gym door.

He assumed Jason had gone to get showered after the workout, so he was surprised to find him in the kitchen when he went in to get some lunch.

Jason merely glanced over his shoulder as Dick entered before going back to his sandwich.

"Hey," Dick said as he sat down on the stool beside Jason, but the boy merely took another bite.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, Dick uncomfortably tapping his fingertips against the counter.

"Uh, about earlier," Dick murmured, looking down at his twitching fingers. "Maybe I was a little- I suppose I could've- I might've been a bit-"

"Okay, this is just painful," Jason interjected, putting down his sandwich as he turned toward him. "Are you trying to apologize right now?" he asked bluntly, looking at Dick with eyebrows raised.

Dick pursed his lips together and swallowed hard. "Maybe," he muttered to the fridge directly across from him.

He heard Jason chuckle beside him.

"It's okay," Jason chuckled, elbowing him lightly on the arm. "Potential-apology accepted," he added, and Dick met his eyes for a small moment as they smiled.

"You wanna go play some video games?" Jason added through another bite of sandwich.

"Sure," Dick answered with a shrug. "As soon as you take a shower," he mumbled, and Jason elbowed him again, much harder.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Note:**__ It was so difficult not to turn this into Birdflash. So, SO difficult._

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**_Dick_**

"Is this really necessary?" Dick grumbled for at least the fifth time, pressing the earpiece more securely into his ear as he leaned against a rooftop water tower.

It was late January in Gotham, and his breath snaked out in front of him as he spoke. He wouldn't have wanted to do this at any time, but winter in this climate was the absolute worst possible option.

"We have to test his tailing," Bruce explained tiresomely on the other end of the feed.

"I know," Dick replied, peering around the side of the metal container to check the coast was still clear. "I just don't see why I have to be the guinea pig."

"Because you're not going to turn around and shoot him," Bruce sighed, obviously very aware of how many times Dick had asked this question.

Dick let out a skeptical snort, and he could practically hear Bruce glaring at him over the comm.

"How many times has he lost you?" Bruce asked, and Dick could hear computer keys clicking in the background as Bruce assumedly hacked nearby surveillance to keep an eye on them.

"Two so far," Dick answered, checking around the water tower again. "What if someone else sees me though?" he pressed, looking down at his black and white suit.

"We went over this," Bruce snapped. "Robin gets to practice tailing a suspect, and Red X starts building a reputation." Even on a secure comm, Bruce refrained from using their real names, a habit Dick had unwittingly fallen into as well.

"But what if somebody shoots at _me_?" Dick hissed quietly as he saw a silhouette of Jason cross a rooftop some distance behind him.

"Duck," Bruce quipped, and Dick sneered even though Bruce couldn't see it.

They then fell silent as Dick moved from his hiding place, staying as low as he could in hopes that the various vents on the roof would obscure his movements.

He could sense Jason catching sight of him even though he didn't turn around, and ran toward the edge of the roof, leaping off the side to land in a neat crouch on the building next door.

The rule for the evening was that no gadgets could be used, so Jason would have to rely on his natural ability and acrobatic training to tail Dick. Dick had an obvious advantage, but he was at least up to 70% from to the 50% effort he had started the evening at.

Unable to suppress his older-brother instincts, he took a small peek over his shoulder to make sure Jason made the jump before taking a sharp turn and jumping onto the building's fire escape. Sliding down the bars of the steps, he travelled down three levels before leaping onto a dumpster in the alley. He ran across the lined-up dumpsters before coming to a concrete wall that closed off the alley on one side, which he easily leapt with a midair somersault as he launched himself off the last dumpster.

Seconds after he landed, he heard Jason on the fire escape, and carefully looked up around the wall to see him rushing down the steps. Dick would have to show him later how much faster it was to slide down the bars.

As Jason grew lower on the fire escape, Dick could see him looking around, and he knew Jason did not know where he'd gone. Jason took an educated guess though, and started racing across the dumpsters toward him.

With a small, unseen smirk of pride, Dick took off down the narrow, service alley he now found himself in, quickly vaulting up another fire escape he found a few buildings down. He was certain Jason saw him climbing the fire escape, but he had enough distance that he knew he could gain some ground once he got to the roof.

The roof was, unfortunately, metal, and he mentally kicked himself for not checking that before he climbed as his footfalls softly rattled the panels. The metal did hold one advantage though, and he clearly heard when Jason reached the top behind him. Jason only took a couple steps before Dick leapt onto the next roof, however, which was good, solid concrete.

He was just preparing to leap off that building, planning to grab hold of a nearby flag and get the momentum to launch himself across the street, when a familiar voice met his ears.

"I got him, Rob!" the voice yelled, and Dick's eyes widened in horrifying recognition just an instant before his legs were pulled out from under him.

He hit the concrete hard, but quickly turned it into a roll and came back up, running harder now that there was someone unaware of the training exercise chasing him. The fall had made him lose too much speed, however, and he skidded to a stop at the edge of the rooftop, unable to make the jump.

An incoming whooshing sound told him what was coming, but he was still not entirely prepared as he spun in place, pushed down onto his knees as someone twisted his arms behind his back.

"Boy, do I make this look easy," Flash gloated as Jason approached. "You out of breath there, bud? Need to take a breather?"

Jason opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Flash's yelp as Dick kicked a foot out behind him and threw his arms over his head, sending Kid Flash flying over his back.

Flash landed flat on his back, a huff of air escaping him as he thudded onto the concrete.

"Just hold on a sec," Dick said earnestly, holding his hands up in front of him in a gesture of peace as Kid Flash looked up at him accusingly.

Dick watched as Flash's eyes squinted slightly, his head tilting in curiosity as his forehead furrowed.

Warily, but not aggressively, Flash rose, eyeing Dick suspiciously.

"I know you," Flash said slowly, pointing shakily at Dick as if trying to place him. "You're that Red X guy. You attacked the Titans!" He took a small step forward, which Dick matched with a backward one of his own, but Jason grabbed his arm.

"No, wait," Jason snapped, and Kid Flash looked at him in bewilderment.

The redhead then leaned back slightly, his forehead wrinkling even further as he looked Jason up and down.

"Robin?" he asked uncertainly, shaking Jason off his arm, and Dick could see from the look in his green eyes that the illusion was fast unraveling.

"Sort of," Jason replied with a small shrug before turning his head back to Dick.

"Look, Flash," Dick started cautiously, and the boy twisted toward him, completely perplexed. "I know this is really confusing right now, but we can explain it all if you just come with us."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Kid Flash spat, scanning Dick with contempt.

"Well we're going to the same place," Dick replied, gesturing toward Jason, "so, if you wanna go with him, you'll have to go with me."

Kid Flash looked between the two of them a few times, looking progressively more confused each time.

"Fine," he muttered, giving Dick a distrustful glare, "but I'm walking next to him." He jolted his head toward Jason, who immediately looked to Dick, but Dick could do nothing but shrug at the moment. They certainly couldn't have this conversation here.

As they began the trip, leaping over rooftops with Flash running beneath, Bruce came through on the comm again.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bruce snarled, and Dick cringed.

"Home," he replied innocently, exchanging a small, nervous glance with Jason.

"Not with him, you're not."

"He ran into us," Dick explained hastily. "What were we supposed to do? He wouldn't have just let us go. 'You're friends with this criminal, Robin? Oh, sorry, my bad! You two kids run along then!'" Dick mocked, and he heard Bruce grumbling.

"I'm sending a car," Bruce replied gruffly. "The alley behind the pawn shop. Ten minutes."

"Roger that," Dick joked, giving Jason a nod.

After perhaps the most uncomfortable car ride in all of recorded time, they pulled up to Wayne Manor. Throwing the trench coats Alfred had brought over them in an effort to conceal their uniforms, they rushed into the house to find a very cross-looking Bruce standing in the foyer.

"Bruce Wayne?" Kid Flash asked as he pulled his coat off. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

"It's-uh-" Dick stammered, looking across at Bruce for permission.

Bruce held his steady, disapproving gaze for a moment before giving an almost imperceptible nod.

"Okay, Flash, here's the thing," Dick said, removing his Red X mask to reveal the Robin one he wore underneath as an added precaution. "That"-he pointed to Jason-"isn't Robin. Not the Robin you know, anyway."

Kid Flash looked at him with wide eyes, and Dick thought he saw a flicker of recognition flash across his face.

"I- I don't… Prove it," Kid Flash challenged, folding his arms across his chest.

Dick sighed heavily, scanning his mind for something he could use.

"You told Jinx that the bracelet she got you last Christmas got broken in a fight, but really you threw it in the river because it was, and I quote, 'so ugly you wanted to vomit, but so heavy you couldn't make it to the bathroom'," Dick returned quickly, and Kid Flash's mouth fell open.

"Robin?" he breathed, and Dick nodded. "But then…who's this?" he asked, taking a step away from Jason as he pointed toward him.

"My brother," Dick replied simply, and Jason waved briefly.

"You have a brother?" Kid Flash asked incredulously, his eyes saucers.

"Adopted," Dick clarified, and then proceeded to chuckle as Kid Flash blinked blearily, looking around in a daze.

"Okay," Kid Flash said weakly, pulling himself together somewhat. "So you're Robin, and he's fake Robin and your brother…but that still doesn't explain why we're in Bruce Wayne's house."

"Yea, well…" Dick began, his fingers twitching nervously as he lifted them toward his face, "I guess I kind of have to do this now."

With a steeling breath, he peeled his mask off, and he couldn't tell if Flash looked so shocked just because he'd done that, or because he recognized him.

"My name's Richard Grayson," he explained as Flash stayed frozen in his stunned stupor, figuring he might as well get through this as quickly as possible before he lost his nerve. "Everyone calls me Dick though. Jason and I were adopted by Bruce," he added, gesturing toward Jason, who was now unmasked as well. "Oh, and- uh-," he continued with one, last glance at Bruce, "Bruce is Batman."

If it was possible, Flash's mouth fell open even further, and he looked up at Bruce with a mixture of shock, awe, and terror.

They all stood there in silence for an amount of time that probably felt longer than it was, before Flash finally closed his mouth and swallowed.

"Well," he said weakly, slightly higher than his normal voice, "that is…a lot of information."

Dick didn't respond, not knowing exactly what to say.

After another few moments, Flash seemed to come to his senses, and looked over at Dick with a curious tilt of his head.

"Your name's really Dick?" he asked with a smirk, and Dick knew he was back to normal.

"Just try and find a joke I haven't heard," Dick said tiredly, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I will," Flash chuckled, and Dick shook his head as he smiled. "Oh!" Flash exclaimed suddenly, his eyes shooting wide again. "My bad, I should…" he trailed off as he lifted his hands to his own mask.

Flash's mask had never covered very much to begin with, but it was surprising just how different he looked without it. His freckles were revealed now, for one thing, and Dick wondered if he had made sure the mask covered those on purpose.

"Wally West," the boy said cheerily, extending a hand to Bruce first, who stared at it for a moment before shaking it. "And it was Jason, right?" he clarified as he held his hand out to the boy.

"Yep," Jason answered with a nod. "Jason Todd."

"Alright," Wally said with an air of summation. "Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, and Dick Grayson," he recited, pointing to each of them in turn. "I think I can remember that."

Everyone but Bruce smiled, and then the room went quiet again as they waited uncertainly for the next step.

"I suppose you could stay the night," Bruce offered with only the slightest hint of bitterness, and Wally beamed as if he hadn't noticed. "Unless someone's expecting you," Bruce added hopefully.

"Nope," Wally chirped excitedly, and Dick smirked as Bruce's face fell.

"Shall I make some hot chocolate?" Alfred offered as he emerged from the hallway, assumedly hiding out of sight through the awkward discussion. "Or perhaps some apple cider?"

"I could go for a cider!" Jason piped up immediately, and Dick sighed before he could stop himself.

Jason had never quite grasped the concept of when you should refuse an offer because it was being done just out of politeness.

"Ooo, me too!" Wally agreed, and Dick rolled his eyes that time.

Evidently, Wally was missing the same skill.

"For you, Master Dick? Master Wayne?" Alfred asked, looking between the two men.

"Sure," Dick said with a shrug, figuring he might as well get in on it so long as everyone else was.

"Not for me, Alfred," Bruce said, turning away from them and heading down the hallway. "I've got some work to do." With that, he was gone, his shoes clicking on the marble tile before he disappeared into his study.

"Wow," Wally hissed softly, coming up behind Dick. "He's just as serious in person."

"Bruce is always Batman," Dick replied as they began to follow Jason, who was eagerly heading toward the kitchen.

"Kind of explains why you're always Robin," Wally added, and Dick thought about that rather than responding as they pushed through the kitchen door.

"I could make up another bedroom for you, if you like, Mister West," Alfred said from across the counter as he poured cider into cups.

"Mister West?" Wally repeated, his nose wrinkling. "Can't you just call me Wally?"

Alfred gave him a skeptical look.

"Mister Wally?" he offered, and Alfred smiled with a small nod. "But, no, that's fine, I don't need a room. I'll just bunk with Dick," he replied, elbowing Dick in the arm.

"You're sleeping on the floor," Dick mumbled, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Why?" Kid Flash asked coyly, shuffling closer to him. "You afraid of a little man-cuddling?"

Jason snorted loudly, while Dick merely turned to Alfred.

"Sleeping bags are in that closet by the bedrooms, right?" he asked pointedly, and Alfred nodded as Wally laughed.

"Someday, Dickie," Wally said, shaking his head as he sat down on a stool. "Someday…"

"Do _not_ call me Dickie," Dick snarled, but he still sat down beside the boy as Alfred passed out the cups.

Wally merely laughed before taking a sip.

…

"So you were really in a circus?" Wally said, sitting cross-legged on Dick's bed as he leaned back on the palms of his hands.

"Yep," Dick answered with a nod, smiling slightly.

It was an interesting sort of relief to tell someone other than Starfire about his identity. It had been freeing to tell her too, but because they were dating, it was a different kind of step. He had needed to open up to Starfire in a lot of ways beyond just his identity, but, with Wally, it was just cementing a friendship in a way he hadn't for a long time. A small amount of the weight Dick had resting on his shoulders had been removed. Now if he could just work up the courage with everyone else on the team…

"I guess circus freak isn't much of an insult anymore then," Wally joked with a smirk.

"Guess not," Dick chuckled lightly as he shook his head.

A crinkling sound bounced around the room as Wally reached for the bag of barbeque chips he had taken from the kitchen, pulling them out of the pile of sour candy and cheese puffs. Dick understood that Wally had to eat a lot because of his metabolism, but surely he didn't have to eat so badly.

"Wansaw?" Wally incomprehensibly murmured through a mouth of chips, but Dick got the meaning as Wally held the bag out toward him.

"No, thanks. I'm good," he declined, holding his hand up in front of him, and Wally shrugged before plopping the bag back down in his lap.

"So," Wally continued as he swallowed heavily, "who else knows?"

"Knows what?" Dick asked without thinking, and Wally gave him a withering look. "Right," Dick added as he brain caught up with the obvious. "Well, just you and Starfire right now," he said, sheepishly looking down at his knees.

"The Titans don't know?" Wally asked with surprise, leaning forward across the snack pile.

Dick shook his head, guiltily avoiding eye contact. "Not yet," he said, hoping it sounded a little less awful if he was planning on it.

"Why haven't you told them?" Wally pried, now crunching on some cheese puffs.

"I don't know," Dick shrugged. "It hasn't come up, I guess."

"Do you know their identities?"

"They don't really have secret identities," Dick replied, suddenly feeling even guiltier now that he thought about it.

There was no hiding for the other Titans. Cyborg was half metal, Beast Boy was green, Starfire's skin was nearly orange, and Raven simply had no interest in appearing "normal". They didn't have civilian identities; they could never blend into the crowd. And here he thought he was the only who was always in hero mode; they literally had no choice.

"I'm going to tell them," Dick continued, taking a handful of sour gummies, if only to have a distraction. "I just…haven't found the right time."

"Then make it," Wally said, and Dick looked up at him curiously. "Make the time," Wally clarified. "When it's something you don't want to do, I doubt you'll ever _find_ the right time, so you just gotta make it. Just plug your nose and dive on in," he finished, leaning back as he caught a cheese puff in his mouth.

Dick chuckled. "I know," he muttered, scratching at the back of his head. "You're right. It's just not something I'm used to doing. I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"You did alright with me," Wally answered with a shrug. "Mind you, I was much more interested in Batman, so that probably helped take the pressure off you a bit."

"Yea, you had stars in your eyes," Dick joked, and he got a cheese puff to the forehead for it.

"So," Wally said cautiously after a few moments of loud chewing, "are you gonna tell me what you were doing running around as Red X?"

They hadn't gotten around to discussing that yet, in spite of the fact that it was the only reason they were even talking at all. Dick had been avoiding it, and he suspected Wally had simply refrained from bringing it up out of politeness, but it appeared his curiosity could be dissuaded no further.

"Jason is training to be the new Robin, as you probably guessed," Dick began, not wanting to reveal too much. "I was just out there to give him some training in trailing a criminal, and we couldn't exactly both be Robin."

"Now _that_ would have really freaked me out," Wally stressed, and Dick chuckled at the image. "But, why do you need a new Robin? What are you gonna do?" Wally's eyes widened, his expression turning fearful. "You're not quitting are you?"

"No, I'm not quitting," Dick answered hastily. "I just…don't wanna be Robin anymore. I want to be my own hero, with my own name. A name that doesn't always have 'Batman and-' in front of it," he finished slightly bitterly.

"Oh. Well that makes sense, I guess," Wally said thoughtfully, looking down at the bed. "You wanna step out of his shadow and be your own hero. Not a sidekick," he concluded softly, his forehead furrowed.

"Voice of experience?" Dick ventured, and Wally smiled weakly as he looked back up.

"I'm _Kid_ Flash," he said, his eyes sad. "Of course I know how it feels."

There was silence for a few moments, Dick not knowing whether to sincerely comfort or make a joke.

"Ya got any names picked out?" Wally interjected excitedly, and Dick was relieved that he had been spared the awkward consoling.

"I have an idea, yea," Dick muttered, not really wanting to get into it in case it was stupid.

"What?" Wally enthusiastically pried.

Dick sighed heavily, knowing he could not possibly avoid sharing now.

"Well, I was thinking- I was thinking about…Nightwing," he said, his voice dropping significantly at the end.

"Nightwing?" Wally repeated, and Dick nearly winced at the difference in volume.

"Uh…yea," he confirmed faintly, his eyes shifting uncomfortably.

Wally's eyebrows furrowed, his mouth pushed to one side as he thought.

"Nightwing," he repeated again. "I like it. A little dark, yet still heroic. Maybe even a little sexy," he added, waggling his eyebrows.

Dick rolled his eyes as he tossed a sour gummy at Wally's head, but Wally merely leaned back and caught it in his mouth.

"Mmm, thanks. Can I get a red one this time?" Wally said smartly, opening his mouth again.

Dick shot three worms at him, laughing hysterically as some of the sour powder got in Wally's eye.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Note:**__ I have a question for you guys about the direction you want this fic to go. There is going to be sex soonish (not on Valentine's Day though because that's so tired, so don't be expecting it), but how graphic it is, I would like to leave up to you guys. I could just imply it, I could go into a bit of detail, or I could pretty much give a play-by-play. So leave some feedback in a review, on Tumblr (see the link on my profile page), or in a PM, and majority will rule!_

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**Chapter 18**

It was the 10th of February, four days until earthen Valentine's Day, and Starfire had not heard from Dick in weeks. In the time since he had left after New Year's Eve, she had received only a handful of messages on the video chatting application, and they had all been simply text. He had at least found the time to tell her he would be returning the morning of Valentine's Day, and she had responded to suggest they perhaps not purchase the gifts and merely spend the time together. He had agreed a few days later, and she had not heard from him since.

Still, she sat in front of the computer, hoping he would come online. When she was not waiting at her desk, she was wandering aimlessly around the Tower, looking for anything to do that would take her mind off worrying. The only thing that brought her any peace was the steady rhythm of the bracelet on her wrist. At least he was alive. At least she could be sure of that. What she could not be sure of, however, was what was keeping Dick from communicating with her.

She was certain the fact that he had not told her anything meant that he did not wish to lie to her, which made her fairly sure that it was something she would not approve of. Whether that was something dangerous, or simply something that would make her angry, she could not know. As a result, she worried about every possibility all the time.

She was worrying now, tapping her fingers against her desk as she stared at her laptop screen. Her eyes ached as they focused anxiously on the icon beside his name, and she blinked in temporary relief. She had been gazing so long at the small, grey picture, she did not immediately notice when it changed to color, and she then jolted forward to assure she was not doing the seeing of things.

She had just come to the conclusion that she was not having one of the hallucinations when a ringing sound emanated from the laptop, as well as a flashing alert that she was receiving a call. With a fluttering feeling in her chest, she tried not to beam too widely as she answered, waiting as the screen expanded and the picture loaded.

"Dick, you are-" She stopped, blinking rapidly at the figure that appeared. "Oh, Jason," she said, trying not to sound too disappointed as she pulled her face into a smile. "This is…unexpected."

"Sorry," Jason said softly, looking down shyly. "You were probably expecting Dick."

"Do not worry," Starfire assured, and Jason smiled weakly. "It is lovely to hear from you. Are you well?"

"Yea, I'm goo- well," Jason replied, and Starfire smiled at the correction. "I just… Well, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something," he muttered, and she could see his arms moving as his hands no doubt twisted anxiously out of view.

"Of course," Starfire replied, smiling encouragingly. "What is it you wish to discuss?"

"Well, Dick told me- I mean, I just found out-" He sighed heavily before nodding determinedly to himself. "I heard that Dick told you I was Red X," he finished, looking up warily at her out of the tops of his eyes.

"Oh," she said hesitantly. "Well...yes, Dick did tell me. Although I do not believe he intended to. I believe it was one of the tongue slips."

Jason chuckled, and Starfire tilted her head at the reaction, but he did not explain.

"Right. Well, I still wanted to talk to you about it," Jason continued, looking slightly less nervous now.

"Alright," Starfire pressed when he did not speak.

"I-I wanted to…apologize," he said, his voice fading at the end.

Starfire smiled fondly at the boy. "Jason, there is no need to apologize. You did not know me. I do not take it upon my person."

Jason's eyebrows furrowed. "You mean you don't take it personally?"

"Yes," she clarified. "The personally."

Jason chuckled again, and Starfire's eyes narrowed as she began to suspect it had to do with her speech. At least Dick always told her what it was he found amusing.

"Still," Jason continued, "I wanted to apologize. Now that I know you, I feel really bad about it. Attacking you and-" he stopped, his mouth snapping shut as he looked away.

"And asking me to accompany you on one of the dates?" Starfire guessed, and Jason turned pink.

"Uh…yea," he mumbled, tugging at the collar of his uniform. Robin's uniform? The uniform of the Robin persona? It was all rather confusing.

"It is alright," she reassured. "I have heard stranger things within the bantering of battles."

Jason laughed, and the tension eased. "I'm sure I don't wanna know," he chuckled, shaking his head. "But, for the record," he added with a sly smirk, "you are a cutie." He winked, and Starfire burst into laughter.

"What are you doing?" Starfire heard a voice say through the computer. The voice was male, but it was not Dick's, and Jason spun in his chair toward it. "Dick leaves, and you break into his room?"

A torso came into view beside Jason, and the person bent so their face became visible on the screen.

"Oh, hey, Starfire," a red-haired boy said, waving as he smiled broadly. "Didn't see ya there. You look good on screen."

Starfire stared inquisitively at the beaming boy, and then her eyes widened in recognition as she looked into his green eyes.

"Kid- Kid Flash?" she breathed, leaning closer to the screen as if that would allow her to examine him more closely.

"Yes," Kid Flash strained, his eyebrows rising with confusion. "Why do you look so- Oh," he said, touching his fingers to his face. "Oh, yea, I guess you've never seen me without the mask," he added with a light chuckled.

"But-But why are you- How are you-" she stammered, pointing limply between him and Jason as her eyes scanned between them.

"I sort of ran into Dick and Jason in Gotham," Kid Flash shrugged. "They kind of had to tell me, considering I was gonna take Dick to jail."

"Jail?" Starfire repeated, her eyes widening in surprise and horror.

"Well, he was dressed as Red X," Kid Flash replied nonchalantly, and Starfire's chest seized as her mouth hung open. "Didn't he…tell you?" he added softly, his eyes growing thoughtful.

Starfire pushed the hurt and shock aside and managed a shaky smile. "I suspect he merely wished to respect your privacy," she offered.

"I don't care if you know," Kid Flash snorted. "I just assumed he'd already told you. Well, as much as I'd prefer to do such an introduction in person…" he began, pushing Jason roughly aside as he took his place in front of the screen. "Wally West," he announced grandly. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, milady," he added with as much of a bow as he could manage bent over the screen.

Starfire giggled in spite of the pain in her chest, and inclined her head back to him. "The pleasure is all mine, sir," she replied, the usual response from her years of diplomatic training.

Jason popped back into view, glaring furiously at Wally.

"Well, gotta go!" Wally said hastily, giving Starfire a small wink before disappearing in a blur.

Jason glared after him for a moment before shaking his head and turning his attention back to Starfire.

"I should go too," he said regretfully, pulling the chair back in front of the desk and sitting down. "I'm supposed to run drills with Wally."

Starfire nodded. "Alright. I hope your drills are successful," she wished with a smile.

Jason smiled broadly back at her. "Thanks. Maybe I'll see ya again soon," he added, and gave her a short wave before disappearing.

The icon went grey a few moments later, and Starfire let the feigned smile slip from her lips.

Perhaps she had been correct in saying Dick had wished to respect Wally's secret, but she could not help but feel that it was more than that. He had not been telling her anything, and now he was gone somewhere? Wally had not said where he had gone, or how long it would be, but she was now even more worried than she had been before.

She watched the heart on her bracelet beating. Was it faster than normal, or was her fear making her do the seeing of things? She touched the screen with her fingers, hoping that, wherever Dick was, he was safe.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_**Dick**_

"Keep up!" he shouted over his shoulder at the woman running behind him.

"I'm keeping up just fine!" she snarled back, and Dick smiled behind the face mask.

There were many advantages to being Red X, but nobody being able to see exactly how or where you were looking was definitely up near the top.

He skidded to a stop at the edge of a rooftop, looking down into the street below, the black bag attached to his utility belt swinging at his side.

"This way," he said, pointing to the right as he saw the police cars rushing the opposite direction in the street.

He bounded away, Babs following with an exasperated sigh. He knew she didn't like playing sidekick, but he had to make it look convincing. Plus, it was a whole lot of fun bossing her around.

He leapt a gap between buildings, running a bit before somersaulting in the air over a skylight. Hopefully no one was looking up at that exact moment, but he doubted the black uniform stood out against the night sky very well anyway.

He was just running past a small water tower when something caught his eye, and he stopped dead, Babs making a small, startled sound as she lightly bumped into the back of him, unable to completely stop in time.

"What are you-" she started furiously, but stopped short as she followed his gaze.

"Impressive performance," the redhead said as she emerged from the shadows, her barely-there, green outfit shifting with her movements. "Not many people can steal from Wayne Enterprises. You must be something special," Poison Ivy added with a sultry smirk.

"I like to think so," Dick said, remembering what Bruce had said about committing fully to his Red X identity.

Poison Ivy let out an airy chuckle as she took a few steps closer. "You're new in town, aren't you?" she said, and Dick suppressed a horrified shudder as he watched her eyes scan him.

"Yea," he replied, his voice betraying none of his disgust. "You the welcoming committee?"

Poison Ivy smiled, her red lips curling in an almost threatening way. "In a manner of speaking," she replied slowly, each syllable distinctly rolling off her tongue.

"What do you want, then?" Babs said as she came up to stand at Dick's side, her arms folded in front of her.

Poison Ivy's eyes flashed angrily for a moment as she looked at Babs' masked face for the first time, and then softened as she looked back at Dick.

"I've been sent to get that," she said, gesturing to the bag at Dick's waist. "It seems it's very important to the person I work for."

"The person you work for?" Dick asked, bravely stepping toward the villainess. "You don't seem like the type to have a boss, Red," he said coyly, the nickname effortlessly rolling off his tongue, and he actually startled himself with how easily he was melting back into his Red X persona.

Poison Ivy smiled, her white teeth sparkling between the deadly lips, and, if Dick wasn't losing his mind, he thought he heard a faint giggle.

"Not a boss," she clarified, stepping even closer to him. "I just like to be on the winning team."

"Well," Dick said smugly, patting the bag at his hip, "I don't like to lose."

Poison Ivy appraised him for a moment before a sly smile spread across her face. She stepped directly in front of him, and he looked down the couple of inches into her sparkling eyes.

"Perhaps," she hissed, "we can work out a trade." She began tracing a single finger down his chest, but he gruffly caught her hand, and her eyelids fluttered in surprise.

"Sorry, Red," he said, pushing her hand back toward her as he stepped away. "This is sort of a solo act."

"But…" Poison Ivy muttered, looking over his shoulder toward Babs, and Dick was a little proud he had managed to flummox her to that degree.

"I just bring her along sometimes for surveillance," Dick said, nodding backward to where he could feel Babs glaring at the back of his head.

Babs snorted and came up beside him, placing her forearm on his shoulder as she leaned against him, and Dick cast her an unseen, sidelong glance.

Babs' outfit was a simple, black leotard like her usual, Batgirl uniform, but it had a red stripe running down both sides and her arms. The mask was also a lot simpler, of course, and she was wearing a black wig over her tightly-pinned red hair. Not that Poison Ivy would know that, of course.

"You bring me along for a lot more than that," Babs said, giving the bottom of his mask an affectionate flick as she winked at him through the open holes of her black mask.

If he wasn't in character, he would have burst out laughing, but he would just have to tease her about it later.

"Well," Poison Ivy snapped, looking more than a little affronted, "if we can't work out a trade, maybe we can work out a partnership."

"A partnership?" Dick pressed, and Babs pulled away from him.

"Yes," Poison Ivy continued, her arms folding in front of her as she grew more confident at his interest. "The man I work for, he's been watching you for a while," she smiled. "He seems to think you'd be useful to us. I was supposed to offer for you to join us. Provided things didn't get…difficult," she added in a menacing hiss, but the smile remained coy.

"We're not interested in joining a team," Babs interjected, her hand on her hip. "We work alone."

"Quiet, Scarlett," Dick snarled, and Babs looked genuinely furious. "The grownups are talking."

Poison Ivy smirked at him, and Babs growled as she stepped away, walking to the edge of the building. Poison Ivy took the opportunity to move a little closer, and Dick found himself once again face-to-face with her.

"Have you heard of the League of Shadows?" she asked softly, glancing at Babs to ensure she was out of earshot.

"I've heard a little," Dick replied.

"Well," Poison Ivy continued, her eyebrows rising, "let's just put it this way: If I were you, I'd get on board. Before it's too late." She held his gaze for a few moments longer before turning away and beginning to walk back toward the water tower.

"Hey, Red," Dick called after her, and she spun on the spot, her face smug and unsurprised. "You got a deal," he added, ripping the bag from his waist and tossing it toward her.

She caught it, a broad smile spreading across her face. "Excellent," she chirped. "You'll be hearing from us soon." She turned away from him and began walking once again.

"Us?" he repeated, and her giggle drifted back to him.

"I'll be seeing you…X," she said sultrily, and, with a final wink over her shoulder, seemed to melt away into the shadows.

He stood there for a few moments, listening for any sound of movement before turning back to Babs.

"You gave it to her!" she spat, giving a convincing performance considering that was the plan all along. "X, we were supposed to-"

"Let's get one thing straight," Dick interrupted, rounding on her. "This"-he gestured between the two of them-"is not a _we_."

Babs looked genuinely hurt for a moment, and his unseen eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he forged on.

"So _I_ am going to get out of here before the cops show up," he continued, walking away from her. "I suggest you do the same." With that, he leapt off the edge of the building, hitting the center button on his utility belt to engage the teleport.

It took a handful of teleports before he reached Wayne Manor, only being able to travel so far with every leap using the small device, but he eventually found himself in the woods. Rummaging through the brush, he found the hidden, back entrance to the Batcave, and made his way into the dark tunnel. It was cold and damp, but it eventually opened up to the wide, warm portion of the hideout. Taking the elevator up, he walked into the hallway of Wayne Manor, removing his mask and grimy boots as he did so.

He didn't need to be called to know that Bruce was waiting for him in the study, so he entered the room without knocking.

"How did it go?" Bruce asked, his fingers intertwined beneath his chin as he stared at him, looking as though he had been gazing at the door for quite some time.

"Well," Dick said, collapsing into a chair by the fire, "I think Poison Ivy has a crush on me."

Bruce's hands fell to the desk with a small thud, his eyes wide as he stared.

Dick chuckled at his father's reaction. "You were right about your microchip prototype being the next thing on their list. She was sent to get it from me," he explained, and Bruce collected himself and nodded. "_And_," Dick stressed grandly, "I got into the club." He spread his arms out wide to the side, ready to receive the praise for his impressive feat.

"Already?" Bruce asked, obviously surprised.

Dick nodded. "She said someone would be in touch. Whatever that means."

"What about Babs?" Bruce asked, and, as if on cue, a loud slam echoed down the hall.

"Where is he!?" Babs shrieked, her boots clicking down the hallway toward them.

"She…didn't make the cut," Dick muttered briefly, and Bruce quickly hid his smirk as a furious Babs rounded the corner.

"'The grownups are talking!?'" Babs repeated at him. "'THE GROWNUPS ARE TALKING!?' Who the _hell_ do you think you are!?"

"Red X," Dick replied curtly, and Babs' lips pressed into a tight line as her eyes flared. "Calm down, Babs," he sighed, rising from the chair to stand in front of her. "It was just an act. It's not like we're actually a couple."

"That-That's different," Babs stammered furiously, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Not really, no," Dick chirped as he walked past her, and he heard a low growl emanating from her throat.

"So, what do we do now?" Bruce said, interrupting the tiff.

"I think we'll hear from them pretty soon," Dick answered, leaning against the front of Bruce's desk, "but they'll probably wanna scout me a bit more first. I think if Babs and I"-Babs scoffed loudly-"just pull off a few more heists, I'll be in."

Bruce nodded in agreement, and Babs sighed in reluctant acceptance.

"I'll do some research on another suitable target," Bruce said, pulling his laptop to the center of the desk and opening it. "You two should get out of those uniforms. You're filthy."

"Hey, have you ever been inside one of your air vents?" Dick snapped, plucking at the material on his chest and watching the dust float away in the flickers of light from the fire. "Not exactly spick and span."

"Don't do that here!" Bruce scolded, eyeing the dust falling off with Dick's every move.

"Alright, alright," Dick chuckled, heading back toward the door, Babs following close behind. "We'll come back when we're decent."

Bruce snorted derisively, but Dick didn't respond to the jab.

Babs gave him a tired wave as she parted from him to head to her room, and he walked the rest of the way alone, his feet cold against the smooth marble.

Just as he got to his door, he stopped, his hand on the doorknob as he listened to the small sounds within. It sounded like voices, but his anxiety immediately turned to annoyance as he recognized them.

"Don't you have your own house?" Dick said as he pushed open the door, passing Wally and Jason where they were sitting on his floor.

"Dickie!" Wally cheered, and Dick winced. Wally really wasn't going to let that go.

"You look terrible," Jason muttered, and Dick glared at him.

"I'm gonna take a shower," Dick sighed, opening the bathroom door without retaliating.

"K," Wally and Jason said in unison, and Dick shook his head lightly as he closed the door behind him.

Wally had spent a lot of time at Wayne Manor since discovering Dick's secret, and he seemed to be having a good influence on Jason. Sure, Dick was the beneficiary of more pranks than usual, but Wally made sure Jason kept up with his drills and such while Dick was away, and it was nice to have somebody else tell Jason what he needed to work on. He seemed to get much less angry with Wally.

Dick peeled the uniform off his body, leaving himself only in tight, grey boxers, and he looked up into the mirror to find the dirt had even gotten on his face through the mask. There were streaks of black across his cheeks and forehead, and he sighed as he braced his hands against the sink to lean toward the mirror.

It was late, and he was tired, which was evidenced by the bags under his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well lately, between the almost-nightly skulking and worrying about Starfire. He kept having these awful dreams where he called her and it just rang and rang, echoing around in the silence. Sometimes he would return to Titans Tower in these nightmares, only to find it in ruins, black smoke curling up into the sky over the bay. It was enough to drive someone mad, and he was probably halfway there already.

With a heavy sigh, he pulled away from the mirror and turned on the shower, trying to tell himself he was doing the right thing by keeping Starfire in the dark. But that was a lie he couldn't even convince himself to believe.


	19. Chapter 19

**__****Author's Note:**_I am back! So sorry for my absence; I can assure you I will never disappear that long again, barring some unforeseen circumstances that would probably be terribly unpleasant for me. I won't ever abandon this before it's finished though, so don't worry about that!_

_Anyway, this is Valentine's Day! And a rather long chapter, so I hope you're ready!_

**_Songs:_**_ I can't pick, so you get two  
"Such Great Heights" - The Postal Service (or check out the Iron and Wine cover if you're feeling acoustic)  
__"You Picked Me" - A Fine Frenzy_

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**Chapter 19**

**_Dick_**

He was nervous. No, not nervous. Nervous was just the tip of this iceberg of emotion. He was absolutely terrified, the butterflies in his stomach intensifying into a general sense of nausea.

Of all the logical times in his life that he should have been so afraid, it took the first Valentine's Day with Starfire to finally break him. Not only was it Valentine's Day, but it was Valentine's Day after coming off of weeks of barely speaking to her, and he could feel her pulling away as of late.

She had been notably less talkative when he called her yesterday to tell her he'd be arriving at 9am and she should pack an overnight bag, but the most noticeable sign of her hurt was that she hadn't even asked what they would be doing. Usually her curiosity would have been insatiable, especially if he mentioned an overnight bag.

He wasn't planning on telling her until they arrived anyway, however. He had even convinced Bruce to let him take the Batplane so he could cut the ten hour flight time down to a little less than seven, and the option of tinted windows would keep Starfire, literally, in the dark.

The nervousness grew in his chest as he set the plane down on the landing pad atop the Tower, quickly turning off the engines and leaping out. He bounded down the stairs, trying to regulate his breathing in hopes of slowing his heart rate before he saw anyone. There wasn't nearly enough time, however, because as soon as he pushed the door open to the living room, he found three faces staring at him.

"Uh, hey guys," Dick said hesitantly, his eyes shifting nervously between them. "What's up?"

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven continued to stare at him resolutely, arms folded in front of their chests, and he was genuinely intimidated by the stony glint in their eyes.

"We hear you're taking Starfire out for Valentine's Day," Beast Boy started, his tone more menacing than Dick thought the topic warranted.

"Um, yea," he stammered, beginning to feel guilty simply because they were looking at him like he should. "That's… That's the plan."

"We hear you're taking her…_overnight_," Cyborg clarified, dangerously enunciating the last word.

Dick's eyebrows furrowed as he looked across their faces, and then his eyes widened in comprehension.

"Oh. Oh, no. No, it's not like that," he said hurriedly, waving his hands in front of him to emphasize the point.

"It better not be," Cyborg snarled, leaning down toward him.

Perhaps just because he was nervous, or maybe because he was caught off-guard, but Dick suddenly felt defensive.

"It's not," he snapped, "but what could you say about it anyway? You and Bumblebee-"

"That's not the point!" Cyborg interrupted, turning faintly pink.

Dick turned his curious gaze to Beast Boy, who backed away slightly.

"We've only been dating a couple months!" Beast Boy exclaimed, his voice high as he looked embarrassedly between Dick and Raven. "What kind of guy do you think I am?"

"I didn't say anything," Dick muttered, but Beast Boy glared at him anyway.

Raven merely rolled her eyes.

"Well, just so long as you know," Cyborg interjected, his tone growing serious again. "If anything does happen-"

"Nothing is going to happen," Dick sighed, pushing past them. "If you must know," he said, turning to make sure the room was empty before continuing, "the only reason it's even an overnight trip at all is because we're going too far away to get there and back today."

Everyone's eyes widened in unison surprise, but was quickly replaced by proud approval.

"Well alright," Cyborg said softly, clipping him on the shoulder as he walked past him toward the kitchen.

Beast Boy and Raven followed, Raven throwing Dick a last, warning glare, and the interrogation was over as quickly as it had started.

Still reeling slightly, he made his way unhindered to the hallway, and rapped softly on Starfire's door.

"You may enter," her soft reply came from inside, and his heart fluttered. It had been weeks since he'd heard her voice without it coming through speakers.

The door slid open in front of him, and his heart stopped completely before proceeding to beat rapidly to make up for the lost time.

She had her back to him as she packed a small suitcase on her bed, the light catching in her hair and seeming to transform it to living, breathing fire.

He moved to stand beside her, and the full weight of his guilt settled heavily onto his chest as she turned her green eyes to him.

"Hey," he said weakly, the weight pushing the air from his lungs.

"Greetings," she said with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

A long few seconds of silence pressed down on them.

"You made agreeable time," she added, and he would have corrected her had the situation not been uncomfortable enough already.

"I took the Batplane," he explained shortly, and the atmosphere seemed to lighten slightly as she turned to him with curiosity.

"The Batplane?" she repeated. "For what purpose would that be necessary?"

Dick merely shrugged, and she gave him a small smile before returning to folding her clothes.

"It would be helpful to have some information so I would know what climate to prepare for," she ventured, resting her hands on the edge of the suitcase as she surveyed the multiple options laid out on the bed.

"It'll be pretty cool," Dick supplied, sitting down on the edge of her bed, the only spot not covered in clothing. "In the 40s," he specified, and she nodded before reaching for a plainclothes sweater.

She hardly ever got cold regardless of the temperature, but she preferred to dress at least close to weather-appropriate to avoid drawing even more attention to herself.

Dick imagined it was because she had gotten one too many scandalized looks from passersby on their more northerly missions, but she had never said.

"How is Jason?" she asked, pressing a pair of jeans down on top of the sweater.

"Good. Getting better," Dick replied with a shrug. "He'd still rather train with Wally than me, but…ya know." He trailed off, realizing he had mentioned perhaps the largest reason for the awkwardness between them.

"And how is Wally?" she inquired, somewhat softer now.

"Fine," Dick muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Look, I- I'm sorry about that," he stammered, and she glanced over at him briefly. "You shouldn't have found out like that. I was going to tell you, I just-"

"You were preoccupied," she finished quietly, not looking at him as she packed a pair of shoes.

He didn't answer, not knowing quite what to say to make himself sound less awful.

"I didn't want to worry you," he ventured, and her hands stilled on top of the piled clothes.

"When you first began your trips to Gotham," she began evenly, staring down at the bed, "I was keeping information about our battles from you because I did not wish to worry you, and you told me you would prefer to know." She looked down at him, a heavy sadness in her eyes. "I do not understand why I am not entitled to the same courtesy."

"You are," he assured, standing and catching her hand in his. "It's just…complicated."

"I do not see what is so complex about the matter," she snapped, pulling her hand away to roughly shove her hairbrush into the bag.

"I'm undercover," he insisted, leaning into her eye line. "If transmissions were intercepted, or if you were ever captured-"

"And I am utterly incapable of defending myself?" she spat, glaring at him now. "You do not believe I could withstand tor-"

"Stop," he interjected, and the anger slipped from her face in shock. "Just stop," he whispered again, sitting back down on the bed as his head fell into his hands.

He heard a few things shifting beside him, and then felt the bed depress as she sat down on his left.

"I know you can defend yourself," he said after a few moments. "And I know you could withstand-" He trailed off, unable to say it. "But I- I couldn't," he admitted weakly, looking up into her perplexed face. "I want to tell you these things, I really do," he breathed, "but if anything ever happened- If something happened to you because of what I'd told you-" He sighed, staring back down at the floor. "It's selfish, and it's not fair," he said softly, shaking his head, "but I can't take that risk. Not with you."

He was afraid to look at her for fear of her response, so he was taken aback when she placed a hand on his thigh. Looking up, he found her smiling softly across at him.

"I understand your concerns, Dick," she said gently, "I merely wish there was another way. But it was not my intention to upset you with this discussion." She rose from the bed, packing the last few things into her suitcase. "Perhaps it is best we talk about this later. I do not wish to ruin the Valentine's Day."

Dick chuckled, shaking his head as he rose beside her. "You're not going to ruin anything," he assured, taking the suitcase from her as she started to slide it off the bed. "If anyone would ruin Valentine's Day, it'd be me. I'm pretty bad at this whole boyfriend thing."

Starfire chuckled. "You could certainly be worse. Beast Boy awoke me at 2:30 this morning because he had forgotten it was the Valentine's Day and needed immediate assistance."

Dick laughed loudly as he carried the small suitcase toward the exit. "What did he come up with?"

"I am not entirely certain," Starfire mumbled as she followed him out the door. "I believe he was contemplating doing the renting of the horror movies she likes."

"He getting her a present?" he asked, pausing briefly before entering the living room where the green boy in question was.

"He said he had purchased something some time ago that he would use as the Valentine's Day gift," she answered with a small shrug.

"He already had something?" Dick asked. "Why hadn't he given it to her already? Like for Christmas or something?"

"Apparently he had not felt comfortable giving her this particular gift. I do not know what it is," she added just as he opened his mouth to ask. "I assume Raven will inform me later."

Dick nodded, surprised at how curious he was, but the snooping would have to wait until later as they entered the living room to find the rest of the Titans eating at the kitchen counter.

"You guys want some breakfast?" Cyborg asked, a frying pan of what appeared to be pancakes in his hand.

"I do not need anything," Starfire said, looking at him uncertainly. "I had some of the cereal earlier."

"Yea, I ate too," Dick said, and Cyborg shrugged as he placed the pan back on the stove. "Guess we'll just head out."

"Alright, well you two kids have fun," Cyborg joked, and Beast Boy chuckled.

"But not too much fun," Raven added darkly, and Dick quickly ushered a confused Starfire into the stairwell before anyone could say anything more specific.

"Goodbye, friends!" she called over her shoulder as the door closed behind them, and Dick stopped pushing her to continue walking up the stairs beside her.

Opening the door to the roof, the wind caught him by surprise, catching the door and flinging it from his hand. It bounced against the hinges and he caught it as it recoiled, pushing it shut before following Starfire toward the Batplane.

Her eyes were wide as she looked up at the sleek, black jet, and Dick smiled as he opened the cargo compartment and put her bag in beside his, which was notably smaller.

"You coming?" he chuckled as he leapt up onto the wing, and her mouth snapped shut before she floated up beside him.

He slid behind the controls, and Starfire settled down beside him on the black, bench-like seat.

"How long will this flight be?" she asked off-handedly as the compartment closed above them.

"Nice try," he muttered, and she huffed disappointedly. "Let's just say I brought snacks, and we'll have to refuel before heading home."

Her eyebrows rose inquisitively, but he merely smirked as he started the engines.

Once they had cleared the Tower and reached their cruising altitude, he engaged the autopilot and flipped a switch. The clear covering above them darkened, eliminating any view outside, and Starfire gasped, grasping onto his arm as she looked frantically around.

"I did that," he explained, and her grip loosened. "I just don't want you getting any hints on where we're going."

"Will I not discover our location when we exit the plane regardless?" she assumed, and he chuckled as he peeled his mask off with the hand she hadn't commandeered.

"I've got that covered too," he said with a coy wink, and she rolled her eyes before settling her head down on his shoulder.

At about the halfway point, they opened the snacks, and Starfire was asleep shortly thereafter. He smiled down at her, her body rising and falling with her rhythmic, slow breathing, before carefully removing a handheld videogame from his pocket. He grinned smugly to himself as he turned the sound off, grateful that he had, so far at least, thought of everything.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Kory?"

She twisted away from the voice, pulling her knees up in front of her as she burrowed further into the seat.

"Kory?" he repeated, chuckling softly as he lightly shook her shoulder.

There was a brief flutter of panic as she forgot where she was, but the plane quickly came into focus, as well as Dick's smiling face, mask now back in place.

"We're here," he said simply, smiling broadly, and she was confused for a moment before jolting up.

She squealed, floating upward off her seat, but he grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her back down.

"Not so fast," he scolded, and she frowned. "Have to make sure you don't see anything," he continued, pulling a wide, black ribbon from his pocket. He stretched it toward her, and she recoiled.

"It's a blindfold," he attempted to explain, but it did not help her any. "You tie this around your head, over your eyes," he continued, "and that way you don't see anything until I take it off."

"But how will I navigate?" she asked, looking warily at the black band.

"Don't worry," he assured, smiling in that way she could not help but trust. "I won't let you run into any walls."

She bit her lip, looking between his face and the blindfold before nodding slowly.

He smiled brighter, stretched his hands out toward her, and then everything went dark behind the soft fabric.

"Alright," he said with finality, and she heard the compartment roof lift off. "I'm gonna carry you out, okay? And then there's a car waiting for us, so we're gonna get in that."

"Then can I remove the blindfold?" she asked as he slipped his arms underneath her, and she found his neck to wrap her arms around it.

"Nope," he said, his voice strained as he hoisted her up. "Not until we get there," he added, and she gripped him tighter as they were suddenly falling through the air.

"Sorry," he chuckled as they landed with a jolt. "Should've warned you."

"It is alright," she said, shaking her head against his shoulder. "I should have assumed."

They did not walk far, and then she was being lowered into the car. She felt her way across the smooth seats, sliding over so Dick could sit beside her. The door closed with an abrupt thump, and then the car began moving.

"Here," Dick said, and she jumped as she felt his presence in front of her. She heard the whir of the seatbelt a moment later, and his breath passed across her face before the securing click echoed around the car.

There was something terrifyingly vulnerable about wearing the blindfold, but it was also rather pleasant in its own, unique way. The sounds of the road seemed clearer, and she could feel every callous on Dick's warm hand within hers now that she was singularly focused on it. She leaned toward him, her head finding his shoulder, and breathed in the scent of his shampoo, which seemed somehow stronger now.

Lost in her trance, she did not notice how long the ride was, and was only shaken back to reality by the jolt of the stopping car.

Dick's hand disappeared from beneath hers, and she heard two car doors open and close. There was absolute silence for a tense moment as she waited, but then the door beside her opened and she could sense him in the doorway.

He took her hand and pulled her out, and she listened intently to glean any information on where she was.

It was loud, the sound of street noise buzzing all around her, and there was a chill in the air, but before she could discover anything more specific, Dick was leading her away. They must have entered a building, because the sound noticeably dampened.

"Dick-" she began nervously as they walked, her free hand reaching out ahead of her in search of obstacles.

"Almost there," he assured, and she heard a small click. A few seconds later there was a ding, and she assumed Dick led her into an elevator.

The ride was fast, and she held onto Dick, the motion of the elevator making her much more nervous than it normally would have.

Mercifully, another ding sounded shortly thereafter, and she breathed a sigh of relief as Dick led her out.

"There's just a few stairs left," he said, and she whimpered. "If you want," he chuckled, "you can hover and I'll pull you along."

She laughed, but it did sound preferable to stumbling her way up the stairs, so she levitated up off the ground.

"A little higher," he directed, and she added a few inches.

She could hear his footfalls on the stairs, and she hovered beside him, his hand pulling her along. He carefully guided her around the corners, and she tried not to smile at how sweet it was because she could not be sure if he was looking.

A door opened with a loud clang of metal, and she felt a rush of cool air.

"Okay, you can come down now," he said, and she lowered her feet to the ground. He guided her several feet forward, and the air seemed to get warmer as she could see spots of light flickering through the blindfold.

"Okay," he breathed shakily. "I- I'll take that off now," he continued, and she could feel his fingers trembling against the back of her head as he fumbled with the knot.

The pounding in her chest intensified, the seconds stretching on forever, and she considered simply burning the blindfold off just as Dick managed to unfasten it.

He pulled it away, and she blinked rapidly to adjust her vision as quickly as possible.

"Well," he muttered, stepping back so she could see beyond him, "what do you think?"

The first thing she noticed was that she was up very high, and the structure she was standing on was, thankfully, metal. It reached out several feet in front of her before dropping away, revealing a sea of city lights stretching out before her, blinking like a million tiny-

"Flanorgla flies," she breathed, floating to the edge of the ledge and looking out.

She then turned around, looking upward at the metal beams crossing and bending into the darkening sky. Her gaze dropped lower, taking in the circle of fire lampposts that must have been the sources of light and heat she had walked through earlier. In the center of the circle was a table Dick must have led her around, where two of the silver domes that usually held food and bottles of mustard were sitting.

"I think about this place a lot," Dick said softly, coming to stand beside her. "I thought it was about time we had a good memory here instead."

"Robin…" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes, but she was smiling as he took her hands in his.

"Starfire," he said, facing her where she stood on the ledge, "I-I know I don't make this easy. I wish this could be a normal relationship. I wish I could do that; I wish I could give you that." He sighed, looking down over the edge of the tower. "I can't promise there won't be secrets," he continued, looking back up into her face, "but I can promise I'll never lie to you." He bit his bottom lip, his hands twitching within hers. "Kory, I-I want you to know, even though it doesn't seem like it sometimes…well, most of the time…I-I really-"

He was silent for a few moments, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

"I love you," he finished, the wind nearly carrying the soft whisper away.

A few tears broke loose from her eyes, and she marveled at the strange phenomena of crying when she had never felt such joy. It exploded in her chest like fireworks, whizzing around and banging against the sides in a way she could not contain.

"Oh, Robin!" she squealed, and he staggered backward as she tackled him around the neck, floating in front of him so she could be more level with his face. "I love you too," she choked out, and she saw a smile begin to bloom on his face before she covered it with her lips.

There was a loud chorus of distant shouting, and she turned to see flashes of light flickering frantically up at them from scattered rooftops below. It was only then she noticed the helicopter, swirling around some distance above them.

Dick sighed heavily, hitching his signature hero smile on his face. "I should've known the mayor wouldn't keep our visit under wraps. Too good of a publicity opportunity," he muttered through his teeth.

"Publicity?" she questioned, smiling herself as she waved aimlessly toward the rooftops.

"Yea. It's an election year. He wants to remind everyone he's friends with the Teen Titans, I guess," he mumbled, wrapping an arm around her waist as they both waved up at the helicopter.

A loud cheer came from down below, and they both dropped their hands, looking curiously at one another.

They went together, tentatively walking toward the edge of the tower platform.

"Holy shit," Dick breathed, and Starfire-who normally disapproved of such language-could only nod.

In the streets down below them, there were televisions-upon-televisions plastered with…them.

Starfire followed the angle of the video, and found herself staring up at the helicopter. She smiled meekly, and then jumped as the crowd below roared at the acknowledgement.

"Well, you're certainly popular," Dick grumbled, and she could feel her cheeks growing red as she threw the camera a small wave.

Dick waved too, and another, even louder cry drifted up from the throng.

"It appears you are well-liked as well," she chuckled. "Although, I do believe I heard more females that time," she added, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Yea, yea," Dick mumbled, but she could see he was slightly pink.

After one last waving session with the helicopter, Dick wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back toward the table.

"Um, Robin?" she began hesitantly, glancing over her shoulder. "Are we to eat with- with all of the…" she trailed off, not wishing to sound ungrateful.

Dick simply chuckled, pulling her chair out for her. "I've got it under control," he answered smugly, and she took her seat.

He darted away, and she twisted in her chair to find him plucking an armful of long, thin, rectangular objects from beside one of the lampposts. He then began walking in a circle around the perimeter of the posts, dropping the objects one-by-one and adjusting their position with his foot.

"Robin?" she questioned, concerned.

"Just a sec," he called back, laying down the last of the rectangles and returning to the table. He pulled some sort of controller up from where it had evidently been sitting on his chair.

"Let's see, what did that guy say?" he murmured to himself as his eyebrows furrowed down at the device. "Just hit this button, and then hold this for three seconds-"

Starfire gasped as large, cream screens burst up from the black rectangles on the ground, shooting at least ten feet in the air before shuddering to a halt.

"Technology," Dick said wistfully, shaking his head as he appraised the result.

Starfire laughed, looking around to see they were now almost completely obscured from view.

"I hope you understand," Dick continued, taking his own seat across from her, "I'm going to leave the mask on. Just in case."

She nodded, understanding he was saying she should keep the conversation to 'Robin' and not reveal any sensitive information.

"So," he began grandly, rubbing his gloved hands together in front of him, "shall we?"

She giggled, then nodded excitedly.

He chuckled, shaking his head at her, and then pulled the lids off of their dinner plates with a flourish.

"I thought about doing something really fancy," he muttered as he placed the silver lids off to the side, "but I figured you'd like this better."

She looked down to find a miniaturized pizza on her plate. Tears of mint frosting dripped down the sides, the slices of pickles and bananas scattered like confetti across the surface.

Dick's looked terribly unappetizing in comparison: a cheese pizza with pepperoni and sausage.

"Is this okay?" he asked breathlessly, leaning across the table. "Because I could get something better, if you want. I mean, we're in Japan, and they have really good sushi, and I'm sure if you put some mustard-"

"It is perfect," she interjected, stretching her hand across the table to place it atop his.

He let out a small sigh of relief and smiled brightly at her. "Well then," he said, pulling his hands back toward his plate, "let's eat!"

The helicopter had disappeared by the time they finished eating, and, after Dick insisting it was alright to let someone else clean up, they had surreptitiously flown to their hotel, avoiding rabid packs of fans along the way.

They entered in the service entrance by typing a password into the lock, a precaution already cleared with the hotel staff by Dick, and were greeted by a slender man in a navy suit.

"Robin-san. Starfire-san," the man said, bowing to each of them in turn, a gesture which they quickly returned. "Welcome! It is a great honor to have you staying with us this evening. I have already taken the liberty of having your luggage sent to your room. Room 3009," he added, handing Dick a packet which Starfire assumed contained the keys.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Dick said, bowing his head again. "I really must insist again, Mr. Saitou, that you allow me to pay you for the accom-"

"Nonsense," Mr. Saitou interrupted, leaning back as he batted his hands toward them. "Consider it my small part in repaying you for all you did for our city."

Dick hesitated a moment, and then nodded.

"Excellent!" Mr. Saitou exclaimed, opening his arms wide as if to embrace the occasion. "I will show you to the stairs. You are certain you do not wish to use the elevators? 30 floors is no small distance to walk."

"I think we'll manage," Dick said, nodding his head back toward her.

Mr. Saitou chuckled. "Yes, of course. Here you are," he said, opening a large, metal door. "I hope you have a pleasant evening. Anything you need, do not hesitate to call. I have written my personal number on the key sleeve."

"Thank you," Dick said, bowing his head once more.

"Yes, thank you very much," Starfire added, relieved to finally have something to say. "You are most kind."

Mr. Saitou chuckled, and, with one last nod to each of them, turned and left them to the stairs.

Starfire had flown up the stairs so fast, she thought Dick was going to be the sick when they got to the top, but he had no choice but to do the pulling together of himself because she hastened him to the door, hovering eagerly behind him as he took far too long with the key.

The instant she heard a click, she shot past him, flying past his head to survey the room.

The first thing she noticed was the view. It was actually possible to see Tokyo Tower from here, and she briefly wondered if someone had already cleared away the remnants of her surprise before her attention was drawn to the rest of the city, flashing and blinking before her.

Remembering there was an entire room behind her, she turned to find herself in a room with a large, luxurious couch, an armed chair, and a television that dwarfed the stand it was on. There was no bed, however, and she tilted her head in confusion.

"Through there," Dick offered knowingly, nodding his head toward a door to her left.

The happiness in her chest escaped in a small squeal from her mouth as she flew over to the door, flinging it open.

There was only one bed, and she amused herself for a moment at how uncomfortable that phone call must have been for Dick. It was bigger than any bed she had ever seen, and looked softer too. Just to be sure, however, she flew above it, releasing her flight to collapse on her back into the soft, white coverings.

It was a juvenile gesture, she knew, but she simply could not restrain herself from giggling, kicking her feet and pounding her arms against the bed in her excitement.

"Geez," Dick muttered, and she twisted her head to see him leaning against the doorframe, a smug grin on his face. "And you haven't even seen the bathroom yet."

Another squeal and she was off, bolting through the already-open door and flipping on the light.

It looked like a bathroom out of Wayne Manor, all marble and glass. The entire room sparkled and twinkled as if it had never been used, but her eyes focused in on a very large, separate, bathing tub with huge, silver claws protruding from it, as if it were about to straighten up and walk away.

"They call that a claw foot tub," Dick said, now leaning against the bathroom door.

"How does it work?" she asked, bending down to examine the knobs and dials.

"I'll show- Well, I'm sure you can figure it out," Dick muttered, clearing his throat as his neck flushed. "Come on," he said, suddenly very businesslike as he beckoned her out. "I gotta sweep for bugs."

She rolled her eyes, her arms dangling limply at her sides as she sulked out after him.

"It'll only take a few minutes," he attempted to comfort. "Less if you help."

"You would only check my search area again yourself regardless," she retorted, collapsing back onto the bed on her stomach, holding her head in her hands as she propped herself up to watch him.

He chuckled. "Fair enough," he sighed, and then began his searching.

It took about 10 minutes for every lamp, table, phone, and light fixture to be thoroughly examined, and then he closed the curtains, ensuring every crack was covered by the thick fabric.

"Are you finished?" she sighed, having now shifted to lying on her back, her legs stretching out in the air above her as she lazily twirled circles with her feet.

"Almost," he replied, and she hung her head over the edge of the bed to give him an inverted glare. "I just have to make a call."

"A call?" she inquired, flipping back onto her stomach as he came to sit beside her.

He did not answer, instead reaching for the telephone on the nightstand.

"Hello, this is room 3009. I believe you have a package for me. … Mhmm … Yes, that's it. I was wondering if you could send that up? … Yes, now would be good. … Thank you very much."

He hung up the phone, flashing her a grin before rising and heading back out into the living area.

Bewildered, and a little frustrated, she followed him. "What is this package? What are they doing the sending up of?"

He shrugged wordlessly, sitting down on the couch and planting his feet on the low table in front of it as he reached for the television remote.

She stood over him, too excited to sit. "Is it…a present?" she asked, hoping she did not sound the spoiled.

"No," he chuckled, as if the idea were ridiculous. "We're not exchanging presents, remember?"

She crossed her arms, glowering down at him, but her heart fluttered anxiously. What if he had purchased something for her regardless?

"Then what is in this package?" she questioned, trying to sound as menacing as possible.

Just then, a knock came to the door, and Dick twisted his head from the television.

"Wow, that was quick," he murmured, walking past as if she were not there. "Uh, you might wanna go into the bedroom for a second," he said, pausing with his hand on the door.

She shot him one last glare of suspicion before retreating into the bedroom. She heard a few muffled words exchanged, and then the door closed once again. Standing there, just inside the door, she waited breathlessly, both excitement and terror rising in her throat.

"Stop freaking out," he chided before he even entered the room. "I didn't get you a present. Not really, anyway."

He stepped through the door, beaming at her with a finally-unmasked face and holding a tray, which held various colors of the cotton candy billowing out of white, paper cones.

She gasped, rushing forward in a single leap of joyous flight. "There are so many different colors!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Do they have different tastes as well?"

Dick chuckled as he set the tray down on the desk against the wall. "Theoretically, yes, but they all end up just tasting like sugar."

She grinned, not at all upset by this.

"I'm gonna get changed really quick," he said, jerking a thumb toward where their bags were resting against the wall, and she wondered why she had not noticed them before. "So I'll just go in the bathroom and you can change out here."

She smiled at his unnecessary gesture of modesty, but nodded.

He pulled a few things out of his suitcase and entered the bathroom, the lock clicking behind him.

She chuckled faintly to herself as she opened her suitcase, removing a pair of pajamas. She chose shorts–white with purple polka dots-and a purple t-shirt, not wanting to get hot during the night under the blankets.

Lying down on the bed on her stomach, she waited, fiddling with the television remote to see if she could find the correct buttons.

There was a knock a short time later, and she started, curious as to who would need admittance at this hour of the evening.

"Kory?" Dick's voice asked, muffled through the door, and she realized it had been him knocking from inside the bathroom.

"The coastline is clear!" she called, trying to suppress her smirk before he came out.

"Coast," he said as he entered the room, flicking the light off as he went. "The coast is clear."

She huffed, but her anger quickly ebbed away as she looked at him.

He wore a simple, white t-shirt and blue, striped shorts, which was not terribly unusual sleeping attire, but there was something about seeing him standing there, ruffling his hair back as he jotted a note down on the paper on the desk, that was different.

It hit her all at once what it was. They had been on trips together before, of course, but it had always been the entire team, and they had certainly never shared a room. She always resided with Raven, and the three boys usually got a room together, which Beast Boy constantly complained about because he always received one of the rolling beds.

Being here, alone, thousands of miles from the others, it occurred to her more than ever that they were together. They were one of the couples. And he loved her. He had even said it and everything.

"We should probably eat this soon. It tends to solidify after-"

She pushed the hand holding the tray of cotton candy aside to wrap her arms around his neck, hovering in front of him as she kissed him.

He seemed shocked for a moment, his body still, but then there was a soft thump of the tray landing back on the desk and his arms wrapped around her waist.

She clung to him tightly, searing every aspect of the moment into her mind, before pulling back, one hand still entangled in his hair.

He smirked down at where she was floating in front of him. "What was that for?" he said softly.

She smiled, nestling her head into his shoulder. "Nothing," she mumbled, shaking her head against him. "I was merely thinking."

He chuckled, the sound vibrating through her cheek as his fingers brushed down the length of her hair. "Well, I guess it's okay for women to think sometimes," he teased, and she hit him lightly on the chest as she lifted her head.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking shyly up into his warm, blue eyes.

"For what?" he asked, his head tilting in a slight, adorable way.

"This," she mumbled with an embarrassed shrug. "The dinner, the hotel. Everything."

He beamed down at her and the temperature in the room seemed to rise. "You don't have to thank me," he said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "It's my first Valentine's Day too, ya know," he added playfully.

She chuckled. "Regardless," she said, "thank you."

"Well, you're welcome," he replied with a small nod, and then slid his arms away from her to pick up the cotton candy once more. "Seriously, though, we should eat this. It gets pretty gross."

She laughed, unraveling her arms from his neck and following him over to the bed, where he plopped the tray between them.

"The purple one's probably grape," he said, sitting cross-legged on the bed, "so I'll take that one. You can have the blue one."

"You do not desire any of the blue?" she said, taking the colorful puff of sugar as he handed it to her.

"I don't mind the blue," he shrugged, "but you don't like grape, so I figured I'd just eat this one."

Perhaps it more of the elevated feeling of being on a private vacation in Tokyo, but she felt she had never heard anything more sweet.

"Dick?" she said, her nine stomachs fluttering.

"Hmm?" he murmured, his eyebrows rising over his cotton candy.

"I love you," she added hastily, her cheeks burning with self-consciousness.

He grinned at her, which only seemed to make the acrobatics in her stomach worse.

"I love you too, Kory," he answered softly, and a warm tingle rushed down from her head. "Now eat your cotton candy," he snapped as he turned on the television, a poor attempt to be scolding while there was still a faint smile on his lips.

She ripped off a piece of the blue cloud and laughed, her anxiety pouring out with the sound.

Dick handed her a pillow he plucked from the top of the bed, and she pushed it beneath her chin as she rested on her stomach, periodically popping another wisp of cotton candy into her mouth.

"Ya know," he muttered after a while, still sitting up with his ever-smaller dessert, "for my first Valentine's Day, I don't think I did too bad."

She fought not to smile, trying to arrange her face to look nonchalant. "Not at all. I wonder how you will surpass it for my birthday."

His eyes widened for a moment in terror as he stared at the television, and she could not help but collapse into giggling.

"That's not funny," he grumbled, shaking his head, but a faint smile betrayed him.

She did not reply, merely sitting up and pressing a small kiss to his cheek in apology.

He smiled at her as she collapsed back onto her pillow, and they settled into comfortable silence, the television casting a flickering glow over what Starfire genuinely considered a top possibility for the happiest moment of her life.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Note: **__No songs this chapter, but there's a Sailor Moon reference!_

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Starfire rolled over, turning away from the sunlight peeking around the edges of the curtains, to find her face crunching against something on the pillow beside her. Lifting her head, she plucked the piece of paper off where it had become affixed to her cheek, and rolled over onto her back to read it, holding the page aloft in front of her face.

_Had to go out for a bit. Check out the newspaper on the desk. I left instructions for the tub in the bathroom._

_Back soon for breakfast,  
Dick_

Starfire smiled at his brevity.

Dick had never been the type to write sentimentalities. It was difficult enough merely to get him to say them, let alone commit to such things in writing.

She sat the note on the bedside table as she peeled the blankets away from her, sliding her feet over the edge and walking over to the desk.

Dick had pulled out a page for her, and she looked down to see her own face smiling up at her, Robin's masked visage beside her.

It was a photo taken last night on the rooftop -by the helicopter or a photographer on a rooftop, she could not be certain- showing Robin and herself, his arm wrapped around her waist, their hands outstretched in a frozen wave.

'Teen Titans Take Valentine's Day Trip to Tokyo', she read from the Japanese headline.

She smiled to herself as she read the small, following column: a description of what a handful of different people had seen from their various vantage points, as well as a brief summary of the Titans' last visit.

The remainder was other societal news involving various diplomats and businessmen that she was not familiar with, so she sat the paper back down on the desk and pulled some clothes out of her suitcase. Carrying her bundled, thin-style jeans and purple sweater under her arm, she grabbed her bag of bathroom products and headed into the next room.

As he had promised, Dick had left detailed instructions for how to work the bathing tub sitting on the bathroom counter. He must have done it himself before he left and written out the instructions as he went along, and she smiled at the thoughtfulness.

It was always much easier for her to understand Dick's instructions that it was the ones that were delivered with the product. She remembered trying to figure out how to utilize the toasting device, and she could not understand all of the instructions of depressing mechanisms until they locked.

'Just push the bar thing down to the bottom and you should hear a click,' Dick had explained, which was much simpler.

She did not understand why such manuals were required to be so immensely complex.

A few minutes later, tub filled and steaming, she slid her pajamas off and sank into the water, her hair fanning out around her. She simply lay there for some time, the warm water soothing as it soaked into her skin, but then she washed her hair and emptied the tub, not wanting to sit in the now-soapy water.

Taking her time in the steamy bathroom, she brushed her hair, massaged the lotions into her skin, and got dressed once the humidity would permit it. She then opened the door, gripping the ends of her wet hair with a towel.

She got out just in time to hear her communicator buzzing, and rushed forward to grab it.

"Friend Raven!" she exclaimed as the girl's face appeared on the small screen. "Is it glorious to hear from you!"

Raven merely smiled. "Yea, you too, Star. So, how's your trip going?"

Starfire recounted the events of the previous day, being careful not to carry herself away and bore Raven with too much detail.

Raven was notably impressed.

"I didn't think he had it in him," she mused, shaking her head.

Starfire laughed. "Now, tell me of your Valentine's Day activities!" she insisted, crossing her legs beneath her as she settled in to listen on the bed. "What did you and Beast Boy do to commemorate the occasion?"

"Well, we-"

"Oh, wait, wait!" Starfire earnestly interjected, sitting the communicator in front of her and fumbling around with the buttons. "There!" she exclaimed, finding the right combination to project Raven's image on the wall in front of her. "Please, proceed," she invited, and Raven chuckled.

"Well, we watched some scary movies," she said, shrugging. "Well, they were supposed to be scary, anyway. And then we got some Chinese food and brought it back to watch with more scary movies."

Raven did not continue, her eyes avoiding the screen.

"And?" Starfire prodded.

"And he got me a present," she sighed with resignation.

"Oooooo!" Starfire squealed, bouncing on the bed as she clapped her hands beneath her chin. "May I see? Oh, Raven, please?"

Raven laughed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, but she held up her wrist for Starfire's examination.

"It's a charm bracelet. Like the one you have," Raven explained, and Starfire remembered the present Bruce and Babs had purchased for her at Christmas.

She had not been able to tell even Raven who she had gotten the other presents from, no one else being privy to the secrets of Dick's family until he chose to reveal them, but no one had seemed to take the secrecy too much to their heart.

"It is beautiful!" she chirped, stretching up closer to the projection. "What adornments does it possess?"

"Well there's a blue crystal with a silver bird," she began, pointing at the glittering charms, "and a green crystal with a silver paw print"-she pointed those out as well-"and a little, yellow 'T' in the middle."

Starfire beamed, not speaking for fear of breaking the spell that seemed to have come over Raven as she gazed warmly down at the bracelet.

"Apparently, he got me the bracelet and the bird charm a while ago," she continued, "but then he had second thoughts about giving me jewelry, so he got me that toy for Christmas instead."

"What is objectionable about the gift of jewels?" Starfire asked.

"I don't know," Raven shrugged. "I guess it's kind of…datey."

"Datey?" Starfire repeated, trying to pull a definition for this word from her brain.

"Yea, datey," Raven replied. "Like…the kind of thing people who are dating do."

"Oh, I see!" Starfire exclaimed. "You have taken the verb of dating and created an adjective form." She giggled. "It is quite humorous. I understand now."

Raven chuckled, and opened her mouth to say something when the door behind Starfire opened to reveal Dick returning in full, Robin uniform.

"Hey," he said absentmindedly, tossing something on the desk as he entered, his head bent to look at his communicator. "I figured we'd just order room service for breakfast, if that's o- AH!" He started, jumping backward slightly as he looked up at Raven's projection.

"I am the great and powerful Oz!" Raven bellowed, lifting her hands up into claws beside her as she formed her face into a scowl.

"Ha ha," Dick grumbled as Starfire rolled around on the bed, laughing helplessly.

Raven chuckled, letting her hands drop back to her sides. "Well, I'll let you go," she said. "Wouldn't want to keep Dorothy waiting," she added, and Dick huffed loudly as Raven disconnected with a small, sarcastic wave.

"I grabbed another paper for you," he said, ignoring her fading giggles. "There was a water spot on the article in this one," he added, tapping the paper she had perused earlier, "and I know you like to keep all our publicity and stuff."

"That was most thoughtful," she replied, finally back in control of herself as he walked over to meet her, carrying a large, black folder with him.

"Here," he said, sitting down beside her and opening the case. "It's the room service menu. You can pick from any of this stuff here," he added, his finger sliding down one of the pages.

She bit her lip, staring down at the unfamiliar words.

"I'm gonna get changed and then we can look together," he supplied knowingly, and she smiled gratefully up at him.

He smiled back and then rose, his cape fluttering behind him as he grabbed some clothes from his suitcase and entered the bathroom.

Giving up entirely on understanding any of the menu without his assistance, she reached for the remote, repeating the action she had seen Dick do the previous evening.

The TV buzzed to life, and she began absentmindedly scanning the channels, pressing the buttons in rapid succession.

Suddenly, she stopped, her finger freezing on the rubber arrow as she jolted forward onto her hands and knees, staring in disbelief.

"So, I thought maybe today we could-"

"Is this you?" she interjected, pointing at the television as she stared at him in bewilderment.

"Is what- Oh…" he trailed off, standing beside her now in dark jeans and a grey, long-sleeved shirt.

On the television screen, accompanied by rapid commentary in Japanese, was video of someone dressed as Robin wrestling a man in a black mask down a set of concrete stairs in front of a large, glass building.

The news reporter appeared on screen, explaining a bank robbery early in the morning had been thwarted by the visiting Teen Titans leader, Robin.

Wordlessly, she turned to him, his blue eyes flicking nervously between her and the television set.

"I heard the sirens," he eventually blurted, his body sulking slightly. "You were asleep, and I'd already been up for a while, and I just thought-"

"You thought it would be no inconvenience to offer your assistance," she finished, looking back to the video as Robin tossed a criminal into the back of the large, black, police truck.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I-I don't know what I-"

"You do not need to make the excuses, Dick," she said, smiling at him softly, and his mouth dropped.

"You mean you're not…mad?" he muttered, his eyes peering sheepishly at her through his tousled hair.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "As you said, I was asleep," she shrugged, "and it is always our responsibility to assist in the prevention of criminal activity."

He stared at her, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"What?" she questioned after she grew concerned at his motionlessness.

"Nothing," he chuckled, shaking his head as his mind seemed to return. "Nothing at all," he added, tugging her to him by her waist.

She laughed into his lips as they closed around hers, wriggling her arms up around his neck.

"You were beginning to speak of what you had planned for our activities today," she said as they pulled apart, her arms remaining encircled around him as she twisted at the tips of his hair.

"Yea," he said eagerly, and she was forced the release him as he fumbled for something at his waist. "Look," he said, holding his communicator open toward her so she could see the image displayed.

"It is us!" she chirped, grabbing it from him excitedly.

The screen displayed an image of what appeared to be knitted dolls, each of which bore the likeness of one of the Titans. Robin was even holding one of his projectiles in his hand.

"I know, isn't it weird?" he muttered, moving around beside her to peer over at the screen. "There's all kinds of stuff like this. They've got action figures, watches, wrapping paper. There's even ice cream shaped like my head!"

"Ice cream?" she asked, half-laughing.

Dick nodded, his eyes bright. "Yea, and they've got one for you too. Your eyes are green gumballs."

She laughed loudly, handing him back the communicator as she imagined such a creation.

"So, I thought we could, ya know, take a look around. Buy everything that has our faces on it," Dick continued with a smirk as he secured the communicator back to his belt.

"That sounds like a marvelous idea!" she giggled. "But I do not believe the ice cream would do well with the traveling, and I am certain Beast Boy would wish to see such a thing based on his features."

"We'll figure it out," Dick assured, shrugging. "So should we look at the menu and-"

"Can we not simply begin our activities?" she interjected, her politeness escaping her in favor of excitement.

"Uh, well, I guess," Dick muttered, "but what about-"

"Surely the service of rooms is not the only option for nourishment," she interrupted again, this time blushing with chagrin afterwards.

"No, I suppose not," Dick chuckled, and she was grateful he was not taking offense. "Well, let's head out then. You sure you're gonna be warm enough?" he asked as they headed to the door, scanning her thin sweater.

She gave him a withering look.

"Right," he replied with a smile, grabbing his mask and a black jacket of his own from the closet and sliding into it as they left.

Their first activity was breakfast at a restaurant that Dick had apparently noticed on his earlier outing.

It was an interesting experience for Starfire, being the one to explain the menu to Dick, but he still needed to explain many of the dishes to her after she had translated.

Finally settling on traditional, rolled omelets and steamed rice, they discussed the various possibilities for their day as they ate, sipping their tea in-between suggestions.

"It's not really the season for those boat things," Dick muttered as he swallowed some rice. "But I'm sure we could get one if you-"

"That is alright," she interjected, sipping the wasabi tea Dick had concocted for her, much to their waiter's disgust. "We experienced that when we were here previously. I would rather do something new."

Dick nodded down to his omelet, but she assumed it was meant to be for her. "So does that mean you don't wanna go back to the arcade, or-"

"Oh no!" she gasped, shaking her head fervently. "We must go to the arcade! I must see if I am still champion, and-"

She trailed off as she noticed Dick was quietly laughing to himself, his body shaking slightly as he stared resolutely down at his tea.

"You were doing the teasing of me," she assumed flatly, and he nodded, finally letting a chuckle break through.

"We can go to the arcade," he said, ignoring her glare. "But if you draw a crowd of cheering guys again, we're out of there."

Starfire sighed dramatically. "I cannot help but draw a crowd," she said, shaking her head sadly, and Dick choked on his tea.

It was rather difficult navigating Tokyo with the constant swarms of people following them, cameras and items to be autographed being thrust at them everywhere they went, and Starfire lost Dick in the crowd more than once.

He always found her though, and a gentle tug on her hand pulled her through the wall of people and back to his side, where she'd smile and wave for yet more cameras.

Regardless of all their company, they managed to go through several stores, inspecting all of the wares which bore their likeness, and Starfire could hardly contain herself from buying all of it.

"Just get it," Dick had insisted more times than she could count, but she was uncomfortable with him spending money on things if she were not certain they were necessary.

Of course, some items she simply could not leave without, such as the Teen Titans slippers, one for each member with their respective likeness on them.

She and Dick purchased one for everyone in their appropriate size, assuming everyone would wear their own, and she got two for herself –one of her and one of Robin. She blushed furiously when she asked Dick if she could get this extra pair, but he just grinned and threw them in the cart.

There were also mittens dedicated to each of the Titans, and those were deemed necessary items as well, especially after Starfire realized they made fabulous puppets.

"Perhaps now you will always say the correct thing," she joked, rattling her Robin-clad hand beside her face.

"And perhaps you won't be such a smartass," he retorted, slipping the Starfire mitten on. "You'll just shower me with compliments," he added, regarding his own, makeshift puppet.

Starfire rolled her eyes, sliding the mitten off and sitting them in the cart.

"That was a most humorous jest, Robin," Dick said, putting on a high-pitched voice as he bounced the miniature Starfire in the air.

"Why, thank you, Starfire," Dick replied, and she barely suppressed bursting into laughter at how matter-of-fact his tone was, as if he were not in fact speaking to wool. "I've always thought one of my best qualities was my sense of humor."

She snorted. "It would appear I have been replaced," she snapped, and Dick merely shrugged. "Well, you may spend the remainder of the day with the puppet, and I will amuse myself at the arcade," she said, turning on her heels and beginning to walk down the aisle.

He was pushing the cart beside her in seconds, the mittens lying forgotten on top of their other items.

She giggled as he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him for a moment before returning both hands to the cart.

"So where do you wanna go now?" he said as they reached the cashier, who was hopelessly flustered, frequently dropping their items as she attempted to place them in the bag.

"Um…" Starfire mumbled, clasping her hands in front of her as she dropped her head shyly. She hated suggesting things, especially when Dick would have to pay for them.

"We could grab some lunch," he suggested, and she beamed.

"That is a wondrous suggestion!" she exclaimed, and the cashier jumped.

Dick threw her an apologetic smile before turning back to Starfire. "Alright then," he said, counting out the money from his wallet, which he seemed to produce from nowhere whenever it was needed. "We'll grab some food, hit the arcade, and then we can head back."

She nodded. It was wonderful being in Tokyo again, but she was eager to return to her friends, and especially eager to give them their gifts.

They left the store, Dick stubbornly refusing to let her carry the bag, and smiled for more, innumerable pictures on their way to another restaurant Dick had planned out.

They were nearly there, or so Dick had said, and the crowd had mostly dispersed as they walked hand-in-hand up the sidewalk.

"Excuse me?" a small voice said behind her, and Starfire was surprised to hear that it was in English.

She turned to find herself looking down at a Japanese girl in a blue, school uniform, her black hair tucked behind a grey headband. It was impossible, but Starfire felt she looked very familiar.

"Starfire, right?" the girl asked, and Starfire nodded, her mind still spinning for where she had seen this girl. "You probably don't remember me," the girl mumbled, tugging at her hair as she looked down at the ground. "It was a couple years ago, when you were first in Tokyo. We met outside the-"

"It is you!" Starfire exclaimed, suddenly recalling where she knew the girl from. "The girl in whom I confided my boy troubles!"

"Your what?" Dick muttered, but Starfire swatted impatiently at him.

"Yea," the girl chuckled, somewhat more confident now. "I heard you were in town again and I just- Well, when I saw you- I just thought I would say hi."

"I am most grateful that you did," Starfire chirped, sweeping the startled girl into a hug. "You were most helpful to me, um…"

"Rei," she supplied as Starfire halted on her name. "And I'm glad. Although, I didn't say much," Rei added with a small laugh.

Starfire giggled, remembering with a faint flush. "Yes, well- You were very helpful in your listening."

Rei chuckled. "I-I was wondering- Well, I was hoping that, maybe, you could…" She faded away, lifting a newspaper clipping up in her hand.

"Certainly!" Starfire affirmed, taking the paper from the girl to find it was the article about her and Robin she had read earlier.

"I brought it with me to school today," Rei mumbled, her hands fidgeting in front of her. "Ya know, just in case."

"It is most fortuitous you did," Starfire said with a nod, holding her hand out for the pen she knew Dick would have. Sure enough, it was quickly placed in her hand.

She smiled at him in thanks, and then looked down at the paper and pen, suddenly confused.

"Oh, here," Rei muttered, quickly twisting her backpack around and pulling out a notebook. "You can write on that."

"Thank you," Starfire said as she took the proffered item, setting the newspaper on it as she signed her name. She added a little star to the end, an addition she had made since her discussion with Speedy. That felt so long ago now.

"Um, will you- Could you-" Rei stammered, looking meekly up at Dick.

He smiled, a warmer smile than Starfire had even seen him give when faced with an autograph.

"I'd be happy to," Dick said, and Starfire handed him back the notebook and pen as he gestured for them.

With a swirl of a signature that was infinitely more the cool than her own, Dick signed just below his image in the photograph, right next to Starfire's.

"There you go," he said, handing the notebook and newspaper back down to Rei.

"Thank you," she breathed, staring in awe down at the page in her hands. "Thank you so much."

"It has been no trouble at all," Starfire assured, and Rei beamed up at her. "It was wonderful to see you again," she added, bending to give the girl another, quick hug.

"You too," Rei said. "I'm glad everything, uh…worked out," she added with a quick glance back at Dick.

Starfire giggled, and then gave her a small nod.

"Maybe I'll see ya around," Rei concluded, waving as she turned and began walking down the street away from them.

"Have an enjoyable evening!" Starfire called after her, and the girl flashed another radiant smile before turning a corner.

Starfire's hands clasped together at her chest, and she sighed wistfully as the happy glow of the reunion washed over her.

"_Sooooo_," Dick strained, and she shook her head to clear it, "who exactly was that?"

Starfire turned to him, her mouth opening. She quickly closed it, however, and merely laughed as she continued up the street ahead of him, although she had no idea where they were going.

"No, seriously, who?" Dick called as he hastened to catch up, and she laughed even harder.

…

"You're back!" Beast Boy shouted as they entered in from the stairwell that evening, scrambling over the back of the couch, his controller flying through the air as he abandoned it.

"Thank god," Raven sighed, laying her own controller down on the cushion beside her as she got up to greet them.

"Well look at you two," Cyborg called as he walked from the kitchen to stand between them. "How was your first grownup-couple trip?" he teased, wrapping an arm around each of them and squeezing them to his sides.

Dick grumbled something unintelligible up at him, but Starfire giggled.

"It was glorious!" she sang as Cyborg released them. "And we brought bountiful gifts!"

"Ooo, presents!" Beast Boy exclaimed, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "What bag are they in?" he added, peering into the various parcels Starfire was holding.

She tugged them out of his gaze with a playful glare, and then carried them over to the kitchen, placing the bags atop the counter.

"Here," she said, handing Beast Boy one of the bags. "There are two gifts for each of you."

"How will we know whose is whose?" Cyborg asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I believe it will be apparent," Starfire replied, sharing a sly smile with Dick.

"SWEET!" Beast Boy shouted, pulling out his slippers and mittens. "Look at all the me's!"

"Yea, great," Raven muttered, rolling her eyes. "Now you can be even more of a narcissist."

Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at her, but Raven did not notice, as she was already handing Cyborg up his gifts before taking out her own.

"They got my red eye and everything," Cyborg appraised, turning the slippers over in his hands. "And look! The thumb is a little sonic cannon!" he added, playing with the mitten as if he were shooting at them.

Starfire smiled at the two boys, who had begun comparing the accuracy of their wares with one another, before turning to Raven.

"Do you not like your gift, Raven?" she asked softly, moving away from Dick so he would not hear.

"No, I do," Raven replied, smiling weakly. "I just- I don't really scowl like that…do I?" she whispered, holding up her mittens.

Indeed, the figure depicted in the knots of fabric did not look to be having a joyous time.

"It does not look like you are doing the scowling to me," Starfire observed, her eyes narrowing at the mitten. "You are merely not doing the smiling."

"Oh," Raven said, turning the gift to face her again. "Fair enough," she added with a shrug, and Starfire laughed.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Dick exclaimed, and he rushed out of the room and back into the stairwell.

"What was that about?" Cyborg muttered, but Starfire only shook her head and shrugged, honestly not having any of the ideas what Dick was referring to.

A handful of seconds later, Dick returned, carrying a red and white box with a handle on it.

"We brought you guys back something else too," he said brightly, placing the container on the counter.

"In a cooler?" Beast Boy said, warily examining the box.

"Maybe he finally found you a brain," Raven muttered and Cyborg roared with laughter as Beast Boy huffed.

"No," Dick said, and Starfire realized what it would be only a moment before he lifted them out. "Teen Titans popsicles!"

"HOLY CRAP!" Beast Boy and Cyborg exclaimed in unison, jumping forward and taking their respective, frozen heads.

"I'm not sure if I'm flattered or seriously creeped out," Raven mumbled, eyeing the ice cream suspiciously as she took hers from Dick.

"Yea, I know the feeling," Dick replied, lifting his own out before handing Starfire hers with the other hand.

"Oh my god, Raven, you've got to try this!" Beast Boy urged, mouth already surrounded with green. "I taste like lime!"

Raven stared at him, blinking rapidly, her head tilting to the side as her eyebrows wrinkled.

"Nope," she muttered, shaking her head. "Too weird. Way too weird," she added, waving her free hand in front of her.

"Oh, come on," Beast Boy whined, holding his melting head toward her. "I'm delicious!"

"Pretty sure she already-"

"Did you wake up this morning_ wanting _to end up in another dimension," Raven snarled, glowering at Cyborg, who cowered.

Dick and Beast Boy broke out into peals of laughter, but Starfire merely chuckled along ignorantly.

"At least open yours," Beast Boy said, pulling back his ice cream as the laughter subsided. "It'll melt."

With one, last glare at Cyborg, Raven peeled back the wrapping on her dessert.

"Hmm," she murmured, her tongue clicking against the top of her mouth as she swallowed. "Blueberry."

"Ooo!" Beast Boy said excitedly. "Can I try?"

"No," Raven said sharply, pulling it out of his reach. "You drool on me enough as it is."

"That was one time!" Beast Boy pleaded. "How was I supposed to know I could shift in my sleep?"

"Yea, well, do it again and you'll wake up fixed," Raven snapped, and Beast Boy winced, a small, canine whimper escaping him.

Cyborg and Dick were laughing so hard, Dick was actually clutching onto the kitchen counter for support.

Starfire looked at him curiously, her head tilting.

"I-I'll tell you later," Dick gasped out through fading chuckles, and she nodded, satisfied.

"Hey, BB, come on," Cyborg said, tossing the now bare, wooden spear from his ice cream into the garbage. "We gotta finish that mission we started earlier."

"But Raven and I were-"

"That's fine," Raven interjected urgently. "I mean, I've got my popsicle to finish anyway," she added with slightly more tact, and Beast Boy smiled at her before rushing over to meet Cyborg on the couch.

"I'm gonna go unpack," Dick said, no doubt sensing what would be coming next, and Starfire smiled gratefully at him as he disappeared through the living room door.

Starfire stared at Raven, an irrepressible smile growing on her lips.

Finally, Raven sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned.

"Fine," she muttered, beckoning Starfire toward the door. "I'll tell you all about it."

Starfire squealed with delight, floating just behind Raven as they headed down the hallway to share the Valentine's Day stories.


	21. Chapter 21

**_Author's Note: _**_This chapter focuses on Dick. Be forewarned, this is the last chapter where your feels remain intact._

* * *

**_Dick_**

He crouched on a rooftop in the shadows, looking out over one of Gotham's industrial parks. Large, concrete buildings spread out before him, the occasional security guard passing by in a car through the brightly lit parking lots.

If he didn't know better, he would say this was gonna be easy.

"Looks like the easiest access point is the roof door," he muttered to Babs, who was hovering just behind him. "We just have to get past a keypad lock."

Babs snorted, and Dick smiled back at her, although she would not have been able to see it through his Red X mask.

She was in disguise as well, fully decked-out in her alternate, Scarlett persona.

He kept saying she should consider dyeing her hair black for real, but for some reason she didn't appreciate his suggestions.

"We'll shoot across from over there," he said, pointing to the corner of the building they were currently on, which happened to line up perfectly with the opposite rooftop.

Babs nodded, and they rose, sticking to the shadows as they slinked across the concrete.

Dick had been back playing Red X for over a week now, but there had been no sign of Poison Ivy, or anyone else, for that matter.

It didn't seem to be bothering Babs too much, as she was still decidedly bitter about not being invited to join, but Dick was growing impatient. It didn't help that Bruce wouldn't let Jason completely take over Robin-duty yet, so he was stuck with two jobs. Two, thankless jobs.

They reached the corner of the building and crouched against the low wall, waiting for the security guard to make another pass.

The car rounded the corner after a few moments, weaving its way through the parking spaces, and then disappeared once more.

They had 45 seconds.

Dick stood up, took aim, and fired the grappling hook at a downward angle toward their target building.

The metal sank into the wall, and Dick gave it a small tug to ensure it was secure.

He waved Babs forward, and she pressed against his side, wrapping an arm around his neck as he wrapped one around her waist.

Exchanging a wordless nod, they leapt off the edge of the building, pulled forward by the rapidly retracting wire.

Dick loosened his grip on Babs as they landed on the roof, both of them somersaulting through the remaining momentum. With a sharp tug, he pulled the grappling hook from the wall just as he heard the car rounding the building once more.

"Close one," Babs whispered, and he merely nodded as he went to work on the lock.

Babs was right to have snorted; he had the door open in under a minute.

"We're in," he muttered, tapping the comm in his ear.

"Good," Bruce grunted back. "Now to steal my design back."

"I still think we should've picked something a little less obvious," Dick whispered. "They'll assume Wayne Corp is behind the break-in."

"But we're not."

"But you kind of are," Dick countered.

"Let them assume all they want," Bruce snapped. "Our patent lawyers were going to destroy them anyway. They wouldn't have gotten this thing past the prototype stage. You get to be seen stealing high-tech equipment, and I save myself some legal fees. It's a win/win."

"Feels more like a you win, I do all the work," Dick muttered back, but Bruce only chuckled.

Dick crept along the hallways, Babs just behind him, scanner in hand.

"Nothing's showing up," she whispered. "A few security cameras around the lab, but no surprises, as far as I can tell."

"Good," Dick replied. "Maybe we can get home before sunrise this time."

Ever since returning to Gotham after his Valentine's Day trip with Starfire, Bruce had been sending him out on missions almost every night. Sometimes he was Robin, other times he was Red X with Babs, but either way, he assumed he was being subtly punished for taking a few days off.

He felt a hand on his arm and paused, turning back to Babs.

"The lab's at the end of this hallway," she hissed, pointing toward the fork they were coming to. "There's two security cameras mounted by the door. Alternating sweeps. We'll have to take one of them out."

"Can you do that from there?" he asked, gesturing down to the small, tablet computer she was holding.

She gave him a withering look. "Of course I can," she snapped, "but a guard might come to check on the feed."

"Is there another exit from inside the lab?" he questioned, and her brows furrowed as she tapped the screen.

"Ventilation shaft," she answered after a moment, and he groaned.

He was so tired of crawling through ductwork.

"It'll have to do. Alright, wait for one of the cameras to finish a sweep, and then cut out the other one."

"Yea, thanks, Dad," Babs muttered, and he snarled at her.

"Now," she hissed after a few moments, and they bolted around the corner, racing to the lab door before the remaining camera scanned across them again.

"The card," Dick whispered, and Babs placed the piece of plastic in his waiting hand.

They'd hacked into the company's computer and rigged up a key card earlier that week. Someone named Karen Riley was going to be facing a lot of questions.

They darted inside as soon as the door beeped to permit them, closing it hastily behind them.

Babs had gone ahead of him, scanning the tables for their target.

"This is it, right?" she asked, holding up a small, circular device.

"Yea," Dick confirmed, and she placed the object in his hand as he approached. "Stun pod. Apparently it shoots out low-voltage electricity at anyone within a certain radius."

"Doesn't seem terribly ethical," Babs muttered darkly, crossing her arms.

"Precisely why we wanted to keep it under Wayne Corp control," Bruce interjected in their ears. "We scrapped the project months ago. Nightmare for heart conditions. Now get out of there, the guards are probably coming."

Dick rolled his eyes, exchanging a quick, commiserative glance with Babs as they headed toward the vent.

"What do ya think: statement or finesse?" Dick asked, surveying the slotted, metal cover.

"I'd say finesse," Babs suggested. "Adds a little extra…'screw you', don't ya think?"

Dick nodded with an unseen smile, and then carefully unscrewed the cover with a screwdriver from his belt.

Babs climbed in ahead of him, and he loaded the screws back into their slots before climbing in after her, replacing the cover behind him.

With a few twists from inside the shaft, they began crawling their way through the ducts, leaving no obvious signs of how they had made their escape.

Their luck held until they got back up to the roof, and only then did the alarm sound.

"Time to go," Dick said, grabbing onto Babs as they both raced to the edge of the building, grappling hook in the other hand.

There was hardly anyone down below to notice their short flight to the opposite rooftop, but none of the few, gathered, police officers did regardless.

Grabbing their surveillance gear, they ran across the roof, leaping to other buildings and racing down fire escapes as they made their way back to where he had parked the R Cycle.

They had parked far enough away from the site that they ran into no police cars on their way back, but Dick wove through random alleys, streets, and trails anyway just to ensure they were not being followed.

When he was certain the coast was clear, he pulled off a forest trail and into the hidden bunker that held all of Bruce's other toys.

"Ya know," he said to the dark figure that approached them as he took off his helmet, "we should really start thinking about getting me my own place. It's only a matter of time before somebody tries to follow me back here."

"Maybe," Bruce replied, and Dick knew that would be an eventual yes. Bruce always just said no right away if he meant it. "Right now, you'd better get inside and entertain your…guests."

Dick chuckled. "Wally's over again, huh?" he speculated, peeling his mask off as he hung his helmet on the handlebar of his bike.

"He won't stop asking me what all the buttons on my console do," Bruce muttered exasperatedly, and Dick laughed. "Maybe I should take a leaf outta Kent's book and move the Batcave to the Arctic Circle."

"Wally'd be there in like three seconds," Dick said with a shrug, and Bruce grumbled something unintelligible.

"Will you just go get him?" he sighed tiredly, kneading his fingers into his forehead.

Dick wondered if that's where he had gotten that trait, or had his own father done it as well? He could hardly even remember anymore.

"Sure," Dick chuckled, flashing Babs a quick smile before jogging past Bruce on his way to the Batcave.

"Wally?" he called, his own voice echoing back at him from the dripping, rock formations. "You in here? Wally?"

"Present!" a voice suddenly said at his left, and Dick barely managed not to jump at Wally's appearance.

He kept trying to pop up at scare Dick at the most inopportune moments, but Dick was getting better at not giving him the satisfaction.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked, smiling at his friend.

"Curious," Wally answered with a shrug. "It's not actually as fun as I thought it would be though. Kinda dreary. And a bit damp. Ya ever thought about putting in a fireplace?"

"In an underground cave?" Dick chuckled, raising his eyebrows at him.

"Yea, like Mr. Batplane and you couldn't rig up some way around that," Wally replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm just sayin', the place could use a little feminine touch."

"You could use a little feminine touch," Dick mumbled, turning to lead Wally back toward the elevator to the Manor.

"Hey!" Wally bleated. "I do just fine, thank you very much!"

Dick laughed, ignoring Wally's attempts at convincing him as they rode up to the Manor.

"Seriously though," Dick said as he closed the door of his bedroom behind them. "What is going on with you and Jinx?"

Wally groaned, collapsing into Dick's desk chair.

"That bad?" Dick chuckled, and Wally nodded sickly.

"She's always calling," he whined. "And yelling. She does a lot of yelling. Have you noticed how much yelling she does, because it's a lot."

Dick chuckled, but didn't say anything. It wasn't really his place even if he had wanted to get involved.

"I don't know," Wally sighed, spinning absentmindedly around in the chair. "I just kinda want something…more. Ya know?"

Dick coughed, unprepared for Wally's serious side to suddenly make an appearance.

"I mean, yea, I guess," he mumbled, shrugging and feeling thoroughly out of his element. "Ya don't wanna be fighting all the time, I suppose."

"Yea. Like you and Starfire," Wally said, leaning forward in his chair toward where Dick was perched on the edge of his bed. "You guys get along great."

"Well, I wouldn't say-"

"I'm not saying you're perfect," Wally interjected, rolling his eyes. "I mean, you are a deeply-flawed individual, my friend. But you two seem to make it work without her shooting starbolts at you, ya know?"

"Well, not very often, anyway," Dick chuckled.

Wally laughed. "Well I'd take not very often over what I've got any day," he said, shaking his head, but he was smiling. "So, whadya wanna do, play some video games or something?" he continued, and Dick was thankful the conversation could now be over.

"Sure," he replied, shrugging as he rose. "I just gotta take a shower first. Damn vents."

Wally nodded. "Alright, well I'll be in the living room with Jason. He's been playing Call of Duty all day!"

Dick laughed, giving a quick wave toward the door as he went into the bathroom, and he heard Wally leave a moment later.

He didn't want to look at himself in the mirror, but he could hardly help it.

He looked terrible under the fluorescent lights, bags drooping under his eyes and dust clinging to his hair and eyebrows.

Just a couple games, and then he had to go to sleep.

Bruce would certainly have him up bright and early for something or other.

With a sigh, he turned on the water, waiting for it to reach the appropriate temperature before stepping inside.

As he watched the water spiral down the drain, he wondered what was going on three time zones away in Jump City. It would be quite late, even there.

Raven would probably already be in bed, or perhaps sleeping on the couch while Beast Boy and Cyborg played video games or watched TV.

He didn't know what Starfire would be doing.

Every now and again when they talked, which wasn't very often to begin with, she would mention she had reorganized the bathroom or cleaned her closet.

He got the impression she was terribly bored without him there, maybe even lonely, although she never said.

Would she be in her room right now, lying in bed with the shirt he had left for her? Was she sad? Was she worried?

He sighed, bowing his head into the stream.

He had promised her he wouldn't lie to her, and, considering he had been doing things he was forbidden from telling her about, he had simply been avoiding talking to her altogether.

Solid plan, Dick. Real gentlemanly.

He grumbled to himself as he rinsed the dust out of his hair, and, by the time he was satisfied the evening had been cleaned off of him, he had resolved to try and call her.

Replacing the towel around his waist with a pair of pajama pants, he sat down in front of the computer, ruffling at his hair before wrapping the towel around his shoulders to catch any remaining water.

The computer rang at him, the shrill sound bouncing around the dark, silent room, and he waited, his fingers tapping nervously against the desk. Just as he was about to give up, it stopped, a loading sign appearing before being replaced by her face.

"Hello," she mumbled, blinking blearily in the light of her computer screen.

He could tell by the lack of her usual enthusiasm that he had probably called at an inconvenient time.

"Sorry," he said softly, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I should hope not," Starfire chuckled, her eyes starting to look more alive as she smiled at him, "but it is no trouble. I am happy to hear from you at any time."

He could feel himself grinning stupidly, but he didn't care.

God, she was beautiful. Even half awake, with her hair tousled and one strap of her tank top sliding off her shoulder, she looked like she should be on a billboard.

Not that he would ever allow such a thing, of course.

"So, how have you been?" he asked, and immediately felt guilty. It was the kind of question estranged relatives asked over obligatory, Christmas phone calls. They should be closer than that.

"Fine," she replied, not seeming to mind the small talk. "There has been very little criminal activity since your departure. Beast Boy is suggesting we take the opportunity to go on a vacation, but Cyborg insists that, as soon as we leave, the hell will all break loose."

"He sounds like me," Dick chuckled.

"Yes," Starfire laughed, "Beast Boy has said the same thing. He says Cyborg is doing the funneling of you."

"Channeling," he corrected, smiling at her, and she nodded. "But what about you though?" he clarified, thinking back to his earlier imaginings of her curled up with his t-shirt in a ball of misery.

"Me?" she asked, her head tilting at the screen. "What about me?"

"How have you been, specifically?" he answered, and she blinked in surprise.

"I- Well, I suppose I have been- I do not understand," she muttered, her eyebrows furrowing. "Are you inquiring after my health, or-"

"No, no," Dick said with a light laugh, shaking his head. "I mean, like, what have you been up to? What have you been doing?"

"Oh," she murmured, her lips pouting slightly as she thought. "Truthfully, I have not been doing very much," she admitted with a shy smile. "Beast Boy continues to insist upon trying to teach me the video games, but I spend too much time dying to learn very much."

Dick laughed loudly at that, and Starfire looked at him curiously for a moment before giggling softly along.

"I miss you," he sighed on the tail of his laughter, hardly realizing he'd said it until it was already out there, and then his heart stalled in a vulnerable panic.

"I miss you as well," she said breathlessly, as if a barely-standing dam had broken with those words. "The Tower feels so much…larger when you are absent," she added weakly, her eyes falling to her lap.

"I know," he replied, more because it seemed like the thing to say than because he actually knew. "I'm sorry."

"It is not something to be sorry for," she assured, smiling slightly as she looked back up at him. "You are needed elsewhere, with your family. Family must always come first."

"Yea, but you...you're my family too," he said, his mouth getting away from him again.

What was wrong with him? Was he just overtired? That must be it. Otherwise he'd never be saying these sorts of things out loud.

"I mean, the Titans are my family too," he added, trying to manly it up a bit.

"We all understand," she replied, her voice heavy with a compassion that somehow just made him feel worse. "It is a necessary sacrifice."

"Still sucks though," he muttered, and she giggled.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "It certainly does…suck."

"It just sounds weird when you say it," he chuckled, earning himself a half-hearted glare. The glare quickly turned to curiosity, however, and he watched as her eyebrows slowly furrowed together.

"What?" he asked, turning around to see if something was happening behind him. He wouldn't put it past Wally to sneak in here and eavesdrop.

"Nothing," she replied hurriedly. "It is just… Are you…not wearing a shirt?"

"What? Oh, no," he answered, looking down at his bare torso. "I mean, yes. No? Those questions are always so difficult to answer."

Starfire giggled, rolling her eyes.

"No, I am not wearing a shirt," he stated for clarification. "Why?"

"I do not have a reason," she mumbled with a shrug, but he was pretty sure he could see pink rising in her cheeks. "I was merely uncertain and thought I would inquire."

"Thought you would inquire?" he repeated, and she nodded mutely. "Please," he snorted, "you were totally checking me out."

"I do not have any of the clues what you are talking about," she stated resolutely, but she was definitely red now. "What is this checking out to which you are referring? Is it like the books Raven obtains from the library?"

"Now I know you know what that means," Dick argued, pointing firmly at the screen. "I explained it to you after Raven said I was-"

"Checking out the female working at the shop of ice cream," Starfire finished, raising her eyebrows at him, and he suddenly wished he hadn't started down this road.

"I was trying to read her name tag!" Dick insisted, remembering the day of glares and silence he had endured after that. "How many times do I have to-" He stopped, noticing that she was now laughing. "Oh, whatever," he muttered, and she only laughed harder. "You were still checking me out."

"I cannot even _see_ you," she chuckled. "You are wearing a towel."

He looked down, and he was indeed still wearing the grey towel around his shoulders.

"But you checked me out enough to notice that," he said slyly, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes. "If it will assist you in sleeping tonight, then you are free to believe I was doing the checking you out," she muttered tiresomely, but there was a smile tugging at her lips.

"Good," he replied with a sharp nod. "Then I will."

She laughed, shaking her head at him and causing the white light of the computer to dance across her brilliant, red hair.

They just stared at one another for a moment as she stopped, and his heart grew heavy with everything he knew he couldn't say.

"Well, I should let you get back to sleep," he said softly, flashing her a weak smile.

"I suppose so," she answered, and her tone physically pained him.

"I'll try and call you…as soon as I can," he added, and that seemed to help her enough to smile.

"Alright," she answered, giving him a small nod.

"Alright," he repeated, smiling back at her. "Goodnight. I love you."

His heart skipped another beat.

He needed some coffee or something; this was getting ridiculous!

"I love you too," she replied, and her smile combined with the words to send a rush of heat through his chest. "Goodnight."

With a click, she was gone, the screen shrinking to nothing and leaving only the video chat program open on his desktop.

He just sat there for a moment, letting his heartbeat return to normal as he stared at the screen.

"I am so proud," someone sniffled behind him.

He twisted to see Wally standing in the doorway, a box of tissues in his hands as he dabbed underneath his eyes. He then blew his nose exaggeratedly, rattling his head as he did.

"Wally!" Dick snarled, leaping up from his chair.

Wally yelped and turned, grabbing at the doorknob.

Dick ripped the towel from his shoulders, flicking it out in front of him just in time to catch Wally on the back before the boy was gone in a cackling blur.

He muttered curses under his breath as he went back to the bathroom, hanging the towel up on the hook before slipping into a t-shirt and heading toward the living room, where he was sure Wally would be gossiping with Jason.

Sure enough, he no sooner entered the room than he was greeted with kissy faces and choruses of "sittin' in a tree".

"Alright, alright," he grumbled, settling down on the couch between them, hoping to end the stupid by separating it. "Are we gonna play or what?"

"Whatever you say, loverboy," Wally said, slurring the last word.

Jason rolled around on the couch as he laughed.

Dick said nothing, merely rolling his eyes and picking up a controller, and the mocking eventually died down in favor of trash talk as they chased one another around the maps.

After a little over an hour, they decided to call it a night.

Dick could barely keep his eyes open as he hobbled back to his room, but he paused with his hand on the doorknob as he felt a puff of air ruffle his hair.

"For the record," Wally said as Dick turned around toward him, "I really am happy for you, man." He smiled across at him, and Dick was surprised at the sincerity of the moment, considering it was Wally.

"Uh, thanks, Wally," Dick muttered, blinking more than was necessary in his surprise.

"Starfire's a great girl," he continued, and Dick felt even more caught off guard by this serious version of his best friend. "Just don't mess it up!" Wally added, flashing a small wink before disappearing down the hall.

Dick smiled as he shook his head.

Now that was a lot more Wally.

Still, as he opened his door and crawled into bed, he couldn't help but dwell on the words.

"I'll try," he whispered to the dark room as he stared up at the ceiling, suddenly not very tired at all.


	22. Chapter 22

**_Author's Note: _**_I am about to upset a lot of you, and I am sorry. If it's any consolation, I will be following the canon for the "aftermath" of this too. That will make sense later, I promise._

**_Songs: _**_"Hide and Seek" - Imogen Heap_

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**_Dick_**

"He's careless!" Bruce ranted as he paced in front of his desk. "He always has to get in one more hit, one more fancy trick. He doesn't know when to quit!"

"It's barely been a week," Dick sighed, grinding his fingers into his head, exhausted by this repetitive argument. "He'll get better."

With Red X becoming more of a demanding role, considering they were growing concerned nobody from the League of Shadows had contacted him yet, Jason had taken over Robin-duty completely.

Jason was having the time of his life, of course, but Bruce was less enthusiastic.

It probably didn't help that Bruce was in charge of Jason's training now that Dick had moved out into an apartment to solidify his alter ego of Red X.

Wally came over to help when he could, of course, but Bruce's drills were demanding.

Personally, Dick thought it only served him right for requiring so much of them, but he wouldn't tell Bruce that.

"That's the problem," Bruce continued fervently. "I don't think he will get better. I don't think it's the kind of thing that _can_ get better."

"What do you mean?" Dick asked, folding his arms in front of him.

Bruce sighed heavily, sinking down into his desk chair. "He's just so…so…angry," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper as he propped his arm up on the desk, pressing his forehead into his palm. "He doesn't think, just charges in half-cocked. He isn't patient, he isn't careful, he isn't-"

"Me," Dick finished coldly, and Bruce lifted his head to look at him, surprised. "He isn't me," Dick repeated, "but it can't always be me, Bruce. I can't be your 'and Robin' forever."

"I know you ca-"

"Do you though?" Dick interrupted, growing angry now. "Do you really? Because it seems like the only thing that'll make you happy is me staying here, somersaulting in circles around you for the rest of my life."

It was silent for a moment, Dick glaring down at Bruce's impassive face.

"I don't expect you to stay here forever, Dick," he said, disarming Dick with his soft tone. "I just wish Jason was better prepared to take your place."

Dick didn't know what to say, suddenly feeling like the world's biggest ass.

"Well, just…cut him some slack," he mumbled eventually. "He'll get better."

"I hope so," Bruce sighed, and the argument seemed to have been forgotten. "Let me know how training goes."

Dick nodded, turning and heading toward the office door.

"Dick?" Bruce called after him, and Dick twisted back. "I hope you know…it's more than just somersaults," he finished, the weakest of smiles tugging at the corner of his lips.

Dick smiled slightly stronger, and, not wanting to make the moment sappier for either of them, simply gave a nod before leaving.

As he headed toward the kitchen, he saw what he thought was the back of a yellow t-shirt fluttering around a corner ahead of him, and he rolled his eyes as he approached it.

"Ya know," Dick said as he pushed open the kitchen door to find Jason sitting on a stool as if he had been there for some time, "you really shouldn't spy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jason said, taking a large bite of what looked to be a ham sandwich.

Dick slid onto the seat beside him, raising his eyebrows at his brother.

After a moment, Jason sighed, lowering his sandwich to the plate in front of him.

"He thinks I'm just a screw-up," he muttered, pushing his potato chips around with his fingertips. "He's always yelling at me out there. Criticizing everything I do. I don't even breathe right!"

Dick chuckled, but stopped as he saw Jason's morose face.

"He's always like that at first," Dick assured him. "He was impossible when I first started too. Made me check everything in my utility belt before we left. Twice," he added, holding up two fingers for added emphasis, and Jason laughed lightly at that.

"He'll come around," Dick continued, giving his brother a slight nudge on the arm, "you'll see."

"Ya think?" Jason asked, looking up at him with cautious hope.

"Definitely," Dick confirmed with a nod, and Jason smiled. "Now, finish your lunch," he said, jumping off his stool. "We got training to do!"

Jason groaned, but quickly stuffed the rest of the sandwich into his mouth, snatching a handful of potato chips as he followed.

"Okay!" Dick announced, clapping his hands as they entered the gym, the sound echoing around the room. "I figured we'd start with sprints, then the obstacle course, then work on the hoops."

"Ugh, the hoops?" Jason grumbled, sneering up at the rings. "When does that ever come in handy? I mean, seriously?"

"It's a good arm workout," Dick dismissed, and Jason snorted. "Now get to sprinting!"

"But I just ate," Jason whined, and Dick was suddenly forcibly reminded of elementary school.

"Fine," he conceded, rolling his eyes. "We can stretch for a bit. Probably better that way anyway."

Dick led them over to the mats and then sat down, twisting side-to-side as he grasped onto alternating calves

Jason followed suit, although notably slower.

"So, where's your apartment?" Jason asked as he pulled back on the toes of his right foot.

"Near the docks," Dick replied as he pushed his arms forward, his back muscles aching as he stretched them.

"Kind of a shady neighborhood, isn't it?" Jason said, abandoning his stretches to look curiously at Dick.

"That's the idea," he answered. "Criminal, remember?" he added, pointing to himself for good measure.

"Right," Jason muttered, now reaching his arms over his head. "Can I see it?" he asked after a moment, and Dick could tell this was probably the question this entire conversation had been building up to.

"If you stop talking long enough to get your drills done before rounds, I'll take you tonight," Dick bargained.

Jason grinned at him, leaping up and darting toward the section cleared out for sprints.

Dick chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he got up to grab the clipboard and stopwatch off the wall.

…

It wouldn't exactly look right if Red X drove Robin into his hideout, so Dick arrived by himself first, making sure he hadn't made it too difficult for Jason to follow him.

Sure enough, the back door opened a few seconds later, and Jason tossed him back the key after locking it behind him.

"Woah," he breathed, twisting around as he took in the apartment. "This is awesome!"

Dick smiled, surveying his handiwork, and he couldn't help but agree.

Really, it was less of an apartment, and more of a command center.

For one thing, it was mostly underground, a hidden ramp leading down into the garage, which was separated from the main apartment by a large, metal, everything-proof shutter that rolled down from the ceiling as soon as the sensors detected he'd crossed the threshold.

Considering the security system he had put in there, linked to a chip in his utility belt, you wouldn't want to be anything else crossing the threshold.

As for the living area, it wasn't anything terribly remarkable to most people.

The floor was polished concrete, rugs scattered around to make the experience more tolerable on bare feet, and there were no separate rooms except for the bathroom. A bed sat against the far wall, simple and white, and there was a low, black couch in front of the TV he had mounted on the wall, but the rest of the room was devoted entirely to electronics.

The walls were covered in monitors, showing feeds of the security cameras he had installed around the perimeter, as well as crime scanners and various traffic cameras all over the city. There were a couple computer stations, a single, spinning chair to each, that had an array of keyboards, buttons, and flashing lights stretched out before them.

From in here, he could pretty much be a one-man police force. Of course, he was also thoroughly isolated, with no in-going or out-going transmissions that weren't on the secure, Bat network. He even had to leave Starfire's bracelet at the Manor in case it could somehow be traced, and he hoped she didn't worry too much about the long absences of his heartbeat.

He had only been able to talk to Starfire once since their late-night video chat a week ago, and he hadn't even been able to tell her he would be going away for a while.

Bruce thought that might be 'revealing too much'.

No matter how much Dick argued that it was probably more dangerous for his cover to make her worry about his mysterious absence, Bruce wouldn't budge. Dick would just have to hope Starfire didn't do anything crazy, like trying to hunt him down. Although, considering how dull it was staring at computers down here by himself all the time, he was almost hoping she would.

"Is this 3D?" Jason asked, staring at the flat screen in awe.

"I don't know. Maybe it could be," Dick said with a shrug. "I didn't really check. Not exactly a must-have feature."

"But it's so cool!" Jason insisted, turning toward him, a childlike excitement on his face. "It's like stuff's reaching right out at you! You just get the glasses and-"

"Yea, there's no way I'm gonna be wearing those stupid glasses in my own house," Dick interjected, and Jason wilted slightly.

Jason's eyebrows then furrowed, and he looked up at Dick with a suspicious expression.

"What?" Dick asked, perturbed by the sudden change.

"You said your house," he murmured.

"Yes," Dick stressed, raising his eyebrows at him.

"Well, I just- I mean- Are you gonna be, like…living here? Like…moving out?" Jason muttered, looking slightly hurt.

"Well, for a while," Dick replied. "While this Red X thing is going on."

"And then you'll move back in the Manor?" Jason continued earnestly, and Dick couldn't understand why it was suddenly so important.

"I don't know. I guess so," he answered with a shrug. "At least for a bit. Then I'll probably get my own place somewhere else."

"Will you quit then?" Jason asked softly, his tone more serious now. "Quit being a hero, I mean."

"No, I don't think so," Dick replied with a sad sort of smile. "I'll just…be my own hero. Somewhere else. Find a new city. Not too far though," he added as a flash of hurt crossed Jason's face.

"Well…that's good," Jason murmured, not able to meet his eyes. "I just- I kinda like havin' a brother…ya know?"

Dick smiled as he walked over to Jason, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, which was level with his own at this point. In fact, Jason would probably soon be taller.

"You'll always have a brother," Dick said softly, and Jason slowly lifted his head. "Whether we're under the same roof or not. Okay?"

Jason smiled up at him, giving him a quick nod, and then Dick pulled his hand away, content they could now move on to less heartfelt topics.

"You wanna see the gaming system?" Dick asked, walking past Jason to turn on the console sitting on a table beside the TV. "I've got surround sound."

Jason looked so excited, Dick thought he might actually squeal, but a beeping sound cut him off just as he opened his mouth.

"Bruce," Jason muttered darkly as he pulled his communicator from his belt. "Wants me to meet him up on 7th Street. Some kind of riot."

"Do you need help?" Dick asked, lowering the game he had picked up.

"From Red X?" Jason chuckled. "No, it'll be fine. Nothing I can't handle," he said confidently, throwing in a wink for added egoism.

"Alright," Dick replied, walking with him toward the exit. "Let me know how it goes."

"I will," Jason said, tugging open the door, "and then I'll be back to kick your ass in surround sound!"

"We'll see," Dick chuckled, nodding as Jason gave him a two-finger salute before closing the door behind him.

He sighed, rubbing up the back of his neck and off the tips of his hair as he walked back over to the couch, settling in to see if he could find some news coverage on the riot Jason and Bruce were headed to. Not that they would be seen on any cameras, of course, but it calmed his nerves slightly to watch.

However, the only broadcasts were reporters behind the police barricades talking about distant explosions, which was practically useless for his purposes.

Giving up on that, he changed the setting on the TV, picking up his controller so he could get warmed up before Jason returned.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Starfire sat on the edge of the roof, looking out over Jump City in the frosty air.

It had been raining earlier, but had since stopped, and it was now a clear, late February evening, the clouds that had shrouded them earlier that day having moved on further inland.

Her breath puffed in front of her, wisps of white that disappeared as soon as they were caught in the breeze, but she did not wish to go inside.

Raven had already been up there once to attempt to convince her to return to the warmth of the indoors, and had then come up a second time to merely bring her tea when she realized Starfire would not be convinced.

She could not even entirely explain it to herself, but it was growing more and more difficult to be in the Tower without Dick. Everything reminded her of him, of the absence of him, and she would begin to worry as soon as she was reminded.

With no real expectation, she glanced down at her wrist, finding the screen blank, just like it had been for over a week.

She would have likely driven herself completely insane with worry if Cyborg had not needed to call him a few days ago about something to do with the Tower's security system.

He had answered, which meant he was not being held captive by some sinister villain, and that had been enough for her, for now.

How much longer she could bear it, though, she did not know.

A cold wind came off the bay, whipping through her, and she grew still, her eyes widening.

A creeping dread flowed through her, chilling her heart, and her hands shook on the cup she was holding.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"Starfire!"

She turned, and Raven's desperate, panicked face only solidified her foreboding.

"Starfire," Raven pleaded, her eyes glassy. "Robin…"

The cup shattered against the roof as she ran, darting past Raven as she tried to ignore the tightness rising in her chest.

She burst into the living room to find the others already gathered there, and they turned toward her as she approached, an unfathomable expression in their eyes.

"What is it?" she directed first at Beast Boy, who returned to hanging his head from where he sat on the couch. "What has happened?" she then asked Cyborg, who turned his head away from her, closing his eyes against her questions.

"Starfire," a familiar voice said, and she turned to see Speedy on the screen in the living room, Aqualad sitting beside him, also avoiding her gaze. "Something…something happened in Gotham," Speedy began hesitantly, and Starfire's jaw stiffened as she swallowed hard. "Robin- Well, Robin, he-"

She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Cyborg giving Speedy a small nod.

"Star," Cyborg said, kneeling down to look her in the eyes, "Robin... He was captured."

Her eyes widened as she gasped, her lips trembling as they broke apart.

"And- And they-" Cyborg swallowed hard, his face contorting in pain as he looked away from her for a moment. When he turned back to her, there were tears fighting in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Star," he whispered, shaking his head.

She recoiled from him, his hands sliding off her shoulders.

"No," she said fervently, shaking her head and jostling a few tears lose. "You are wrong. You are WRONG!" she shouted, her body shaking as she pointed furiously at him.

"Star," another soft voice said, and she turned to see Beast Boy now standing behind her, "we- we saw it. They- They made a video," he added at her confused expression.

Bile rose in her throat as she staggered back slightly.

"We took it down as soon as we saw it," Speedy was saying, but it appeared to be directed at Cyborg, "but it had already gotten pretty far. There's a lot of chatter."

"It-It is not real," she stammered, her shaking fists balled at her sides. "It is- It is one of the fakes. It is not real!"

"We authenticated it ourselves, Star," Speedy said solemnly, shaking his head.

"Show me," she demanded, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.

Speedy and Aqualad exchanged a nervous glance.

"Starfire, I don't think-"

"SHOW ME!" she shrieked, and the entire room jumped. "It is not Robin! It CANNOT be Robin! I will tell you it is not Robin if you just-"

"Starfire."

She froze, her fury ebbing at the soft interjection. Looking up, she saw Terra's damp face staring down at her, the blue eyes drowning her with the sorrow and pity they contained.

"You can't," she whispered, shaking her head. "You can't remember this. Not like this."

As she stared up at Terra, she felt the last of her anger evaporate, weakening her, and she fell to the floor on her knees.

"I'm sorry, Star," Speedy's broken voice said above her.

She sobbed into her shaking hands, unable to look up.

"Thank you," Cyborg answered somewhere to her right, and there was a beep as the communication with Titans East ended.

Starfire felt a hand at her shoulder, and knew as the cloak fell around her that it was Raven.

It was not true. It was a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake.

Something was clicking across the room, and she looked up to see Cyborg at one of the consoles in the corner.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked, and Starfire was not sure if Raven was curious, or if she was merely asking the question Starfire could not voice.

Cyborg did not answer for a moment, his body stiffening as he stared resolutely down at the screen.

"I'm locking Robin out of the system," he answered with cold determination.

"NO!" Starfire cried, pulling from Raven's grasp and racing across the room to him. "You cannot!"

"It's protocol Star," Cyborg answered stiffly, and she grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the computer.

"No!" she exclaimed again, blocking his way. "He could be injured! He could need our assistance!"

"You know the plan, Star," Cyborg snapped at her, but she could see the hurt in his eyes. "We have to disable his communicator, block all his access codes. It's the only way to make sure we aren't compromised."

"I DO NOT CARE!" she screamed, stomping the floor so hard, the couch bounced into the air.

Cyborg stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful, and she slowly calmed as she breathed in deep, shuddering gasps.

"He is coming back," she stammered, tears dripping off her chin and dotting the carpet. "He will come back."

Cyborg's hands gripped her shoulders, and she sniffled as she looked up at him.

"Okay," Cyborg said softly, and her anger flared for a small second as she sensed he was merely placating her. "Then, when he does come back, don't you think he'll be really mad if we didn't follow his procedures?"

Her body rattled with a sob, and she squeezed her fists tight to prevent it from overtaking her, but she nodded.

"Alright," Cyborg said gently, and then returned to the computer.

The image of him hitting the buttons spun in watery swirls in front of her, and she watched as the screen turned red for a moment, and then Cyborg pulled his hand away.

"Done," he said emotionlessly, and she simply could not bear it a moment longer.

A cry burst from her throat as she turned, racing toward the hallway door, stumbling on the stairs as her vision swam.

"Starfire!" she heard Raven call behind her, but she did not stop, racing to her room and placing a rattling hand on the sensor.

The door slid open in front of her and she collapsed inside, clutching into the edge of her bed for support.

She curled the blankets up into her fists as she sobbed onto the mattress, slowly dragging them down until they fell with her into a heap on the floor. She shook violently as she lay there, curled up on her carpet, her throat burning with every cry.

Through the haze of a world before her, she saw something white against the pink of her sheets, and groped desperately toward it.

She clutched the shirt to her chest, breathing in Dick's fresh, pine scent as her tears wet the cotton.

She could not breathe, the sobs robbing her of any air she had, and she could not stop crying to replenish it.

The pain was unbearable, as if someone was continually stabbing her in the chest, and a numb kind of cold spread through her limbs, creeping toward her heart.

"No," she choked, clutching onto his shirt so tightly, she would not be surprised if there were holes from her fingers. "Dick. No."

She screamed, a strangled, wild cry that burst from the throbbing pain in her chest. It drained the energy from her, and she grew limp, tears still streaming down her face as she silently wept.

She stared blankly ahead of her, her cheek pressed against the carpet, and surrendered to the calming numbness that spread through her body as the room darkened with a passing of time she could not longer mark.

Was this what death felt like?

She blinked, wondering at the thought.

It was possible, she knew. On Earth, it was commonly referred to as death by a broken heart, but on Tamaran, it was known to be releasing your energy back into the universe when you no longer had the will. It was not common, but it did happen, such as when a spouse was killed in battle or a child died of illness.

Could it be so simple? Could she succumb to this exhaustion and drift away, drift away from the pain she could not bear to feel, the truth she could not bear to face?

But Raven. Raven. Her friends.

She did not wish to leave them.

But it was so dark behind her eyelids, so quiet. And Dick was not gone there.

She could hold onto him there.

"Starfire!"

She blinked, the only reaction she could muster.

"Starfire!"

His voice again.

Perhaps she had gone insane. Or maybe he was there, calling for her. Wherever 'there' might be.

"Starfire."

Shoes walked on the carpet in front of her, and then knees came down with a thud.

"Star? Starfire, look at me."

Arms wrapped around her, pulling her forward as they twisted her onto her back.

"Starfire?" he said again, shaking her slightly. "It's me, Star, it's me. Starfire!?"

Her upper body was hoisted up, and everything grew darker as he pulled her to his chest.

He felt so real, so warm. So alive.

It was not so terrible, losing one's mind.

"Starfire, please," he whispered, and she felt a hand against her cheek. "Come back. Come back, Star, please."

Something fluttered in her chest, a feeling breaking through the quiet cold, and she breathed in for what felt like the very first time. She blinked, the dark figure above her coming into focus through the mist of her tears, which had never seemed to stop flowing.

Blue. Blue eyes sparkling with their own tears.

Carefully, half expecting it to pass right through the image before her, she lifted a hand to his cheek.

"Dick?" she whispered, her lips chapped and her voice hoarse, but he had never looked happier to hear her.

"Starfire!" he gasped, and she saw a flash of a brilliant smile before she was pressed into his shoulder as he hugged her to him. "I'm sorry," he whispered, shaking his head against her hair. "I'm so sorry."

All at once, the cold left her, and she was filled with a rush of dizzying relief. Crying with joy now, she choked out a gasp as she flung her arms around his neck, tears pouring out onto his shirt.

In the few moments her vision was clear, she could see the other three Titans gathered in her doorway, Raven sobbing unabashedly in Beast Boy's arms with what was likely everyone's emotions.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were not crying, but their smiles did seem rather watery.

"Oh, Dick," she breathed, squeezing him tightly to ensure he was truly there. "Thank X'hal you are unharmed. I thought- I thought-"

"I know," he said, pulling away to look at her. He brushed a strand of hair from where it had stuck to her face, and only then did she think about how dreadful she must look right now. "I know, but it wasn't me. On the video, it wasn't me."

She started to smile up at him, but her face fell as a terrible suspicion crept up her spine.

"But, if it was not you…"

Dick winced, his jaw setting stiffly as he looked down away from her.

"No," she breathed, her stomach sinking with horror. "Dick… Oh, Dick!"

She wrapped her arms around him, pressing his head against her shoulder, and whispered softly as his tears rolled down her arm.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**_Dick_**

He was still on the couch, uniform and mask abandoned for pajamas, having never gone back to bed after awakening from a nightmare in the early hours of the morning.

Starfire had roused slightly as he slipped out of bed, and he had whispered he was just going to get a glass of water and would be right back.

He didn't think she'd mind he never did come back. Not today, anyway.

He sat with his head in his hands, the early morning light creeping into the room and turning everything a grimy grey. It looked grimy to him anyway. Grimy and bleak and dead.

Dead.

He hadn't believed it at first, when Bruce had called him. He'd gotten angry, yelling at Bruce for making up such a story, wondering what sort of lesson this particularly nasty training exercise was supposed to teach him.

But then he got there, saw the white cloth draped over the mound on the table, Bruce hunched over the form.

His father had never looked so small to him. So weak. So broken.

Babs screamed, fighting against Alfred as he tried to keep her away.

Dick took her inside, held her while she cried into his lap on the living room couch.

She fell asleep after a while, sheer emotional exhaustion he imagined, and that's when he went back down to the Batcave.

"Don't," Bruce had muttered as Dick clutched the edge of the white sheet, a hollow, aching pit replacing his stomach.

But he had to. He had to know.

He shuddered on the couch, the memory of it still chilling his body.

There was so much blood. And the face. The face.

It wasn't his brother anymore.

That's when Bruce had told him about the video, and he had immediately thought of the Titans, of Starfire.

His communicator had already been disconnected, so he had simply leapt into the Batplane, not even bothering to change into a uniform or a mask. It wouldn't have felt right anyway, being Robin. Not then.

There was a small clinking sound beside him, and he looked to see a steaming mug being slid across the table toward him.

"Coffee," Raven said softly, taking a seat beside him, the fragrant wisps of her herbal tea stretching out toward him. "You look like you could use it."

"Thanks," he said, his voice hoarse, and he wondered briefly if Raven would think he had been crying.

He hadn't cried yet at all, really, except for the few tears that slipped out when he had told Starfire. Otherwise, he'd been stoic. Denial was the first stage, so they said.

Raven merely smiled back at him, and they sipped on their drinks in silence.

"Thank you, by the way," Dick said into the stillness, clearing his throat beforehand this time. "For yesterday."

"No problem," Raven shrugged. "I couldn't let Cyborg blast you off the roof."

Dick chuckled, a deep, hollow sort of sound.

Cyborg and Beast Boy had been about to attack him when he appeared on the roof, leaping out of the Batplane and racing toward the door.

He didn't know why, but he had just assumed they would recognize him somehow, even unmasked and in normal clothes.

Luckily, Raven appeared just in time, blocking their attacks and shouting at them before stepping aside to let Dick pass.

He wasn't sure he would ever see Cyborg and Beast Boy looked so shocked again.

"How did you know, anyway?" he asked, savoring the warmth of the coffee spreading through his body as he drank.

"I could just sense it was you," she replied, sinking back into the cushions. "And then I did sort of recognize you from when I entered your mind before. I didn't see much," she added, shooting him a glance as he made to interrupt, "just some flashes of faces from pictures and posters when you were younger."

Dick merely nodded, clinging to the few moments here with Raven that he did not have to explain.

Cyborg and Beast Boy, who had so far refrained from asking him any questions, would no doubt be wondering a thousand things about the friend they had only just come to know as Dick Grayson.

For once, Dick hoped they were doing their own research.

"She's beautiful, you know," Raven murmured softly, her violet eyes sad as they stared at him over the rim of her cup. "Your mother."

"She was," he mumbled back, immediately regretting the cold reaction.

"When you're as in touch with the spiritual world as I am," Raven said, not seeming to take any offense, "you know better than to refer to loved ones in the past tense."

He looked up to find her staring intently at him, and he smiled weakly as he realized what she truly meant.

Wordlessly, he reached across, giving her hand a small, grateful squeeze.

She smiled back at him, covered his hand with her other one for a moment, and then slipped out from his grasp, rising off the couch and heading back toward the kitchen.

Why became clear as the living room door slid open to reveal Starfire, who was yawning in her white t-shirt and pink pants.

"Pleasant morning, Raven," she mumbled, and Dick lowered his head so only his eyes peered at her over the top of the sofa. "Have you seen Dick?"

Raven nodded toward the couch, and, as Starfire's eyes turned toward him, he ducked, spinning back to face the window and trying not to look too guilty.

Her footsteps grew louder as she approached, and he saw a flash of red hair in the corner of his eye as she sat down beside him.

"How are you…doing?" she asked, soft and hesitant, and her sympathy only served to make him feel terrible.

"Fine," he replied, the automatic, false response in situations like this. "Sorry I didn't come back," he added in a guilty mutter.

Starfire gripped his hand, and he turned to find her smiling at him, her eyes swollen and tired. "It is alright," she assured. "I understand."

He smiled back before staring out the window again, but he kept his hand in hers, the soft warmth comforting.

After a few minutes, she settled further back on the couch, resting her head against his arm as she looked out over the bay with him, never moving her hand from where it intertwined with his atop his thigh.

He thought she had fallen asleep, her breathing growing rhythmic, but he dared not move to check, lest he disturb her.

She was disturbed regardless, however, when Beast Boy and Cyborg came in a short time later, groaning as they rubbed at their eyes.

"You two were up late," Raven said, handing them both cups of coffee as they took stools at the kitchen counter.

"We were working with Titans East," Beast Boy yawned out, slumping against the table, "hunting down every copy of that video."

"We got 'em all though," Cyborg added, taking a swig of his coffee. "Every link in every email, every post on every website. Not entirely legal, but…" He trailed off with a shrug.

Starfire's green eyes looked up at him from his shoulder, and they seemed to realize together that the two men did not know they were in the room. Seemingly to correct this, Starfire shifted loudly on the sofa, sitting more upright and lifting her head away from him.

Dick turned away before Cyborg and Beast Boy looked over, but he could feel their stares.

Shortly thereafter, he heard their footsteps.

"Hey," Cyborg said softly, sitting in the armchair to the right of the coffee table as Beast Boy and Raven settled together into the one on the opposite side. "How- How ya holdin' up?"

It would have normally enraged him, but he couldn't help but feel grateful that Raven must have filled in more of the details from the brief summary he'd given them last night: I'm Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne is Batman and my father, and my adopted brother, Jason, was Robin tonight.

Dick shrugged in response to Cyborg's question. He could barely open up to Kory, let alone the other Titans that counted on him to be their leader. Although, it was clear he could count on them too.

"Thanks for…taking care of that," he mumbled, glancing between Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Of course," Cyborg replied, and Beast Boy nodded, small, encouraging smiles on their faces.

It was all very quiet, very calm, very cautious. It was making him itch with anxiety.

"So…what now?" Beast Boy voiced hesitantly, but Dick was grateful for an opportunity to talk about business.

"I have to go back," he said, feeling the wheels of purpose begin turning in his body once again. "For a few weeks, at least. We can't let anyone know Robin really-"

The silence was thick and nervous as he stopped short.

"We have to keep up appearances," he continued. "In a couple weeks, we'll…tell everyone about Jason. Motorcycle accident. No one should make the connection by then," he added, repeating portions of the plan Bruce had laid out for him before he left.

Of course, he couldn't tell them about the Red X part, but that wasn't relevant anyway.

The group nodded, but Starfire's hand tightened suspiciously around his.

He gave her a quick, questioning glance, but she shook her head slightly, as if to say they would talk about it later.

The room was quiet for a minute, the only sound the occasional slurp of coffee or tea.

"I should get ready," Dick said, clearing his throat as he rose, Starfire's hand sliding away from him.

The rest of the group stood around him, and he paused, confused and uncomfortable with the attention.

"If there's anything you…ya know, need," Beast Boy mumbled, meeting his eyes in spurts as he glanced between him and the floor.

Dick smiled, taking a small step and reaching across to grip his friend's shoulder.

"Thanks," he said softly, and Beast Boy nodded as he returned the small smile, "but I'll be fine. You've all done enough already," he added, addressing the group at large.

They all smiled at him as he walked through the group; all except Starfire, who followed behind him.

"Oh, uh, Robin?" Cyborg called just before Dick reached the door. "You need me to refuel the Batplane before ya go?"

Dick nodded, touched by even that small gesture. "That'd be great, thanks," he said, and Cyborg nodded. "And…it's Dick," he added, and the trio remaining by the couch exchanged surprised glances. "At least in here," he clarified with a shrug, and the group chuckled weakly as they nodded.

He then exited into the hallway, the silence between him and Starfire growing tense as he approached his room.

The second the door slid shut behind them, he turned to face her, knowing she had something to say.

"I am going with you back to Gotham," she informed rather than asked, her eyes firm and fiery.

"No," he said sternly, somewhat expecting this. "It's too dangerous. Especially now that everyone thinks… It's gonna be ugly for a while, and I still have this whole Red X thing on top of that," he explained, but she was unmoved.

"I do not care," she snapped, crossing her arms across her chest. "I am coming."

"Kory," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he pressed his eyes closed exhaustedly, "you can't. The team-"

"Other Titans can do the helping out," she interjected, and he realized with a sinking feeling that she had planned this out more than he'd thought. "The team will be perfectly alright."

"Kory, you just can't," he muttered, searching for excuses that sounded like good reasons. "I don't even know how long I'll be gone, and I'll be so busy with Robin and Red X. I'd probably never even be home, and you'd-"

"I am not going to merely sit here and worry!" she exclaimed, her arms flinging angrily out at her sides. "I will not spend my days waiting for another of those calls!"

She wilted just as quickly as she'd flared, her shoulders shaking slightly as she brought her hands to her face, tears rolling from the corners of her eyes.

He leapt forward, wrapping his arms around her and guiding her over to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Okay," he murmured, stroking her hair as she wept into his chest. "Okay."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Stepping off the elevator into Wayne Manor, she was met with a wall of grief. The halls were dark and silent, as if the entire place was deserted, but sorrow hung heavy in the air, pressing on her shoulders as it filled her lungs.

Their footsteps were impossibly loud on the tile as they headed toward the living room, leaving their luggage beside the elevator for the moment.

The fireplace was lit and roaring, but the warmth did not seem to reach the dark figures silhouetted against the flickering orange.

Babs was on the couch, her arms tucked beneath her head as she lay against the armrest.

Bruce was sitting in an armchair, facing away from them as he stared into the fire, his hands folded beneath his chin.

Alfred hovered against the wall beside the fireplace, and was looking down at the floor before lifting his eyes to where they stood in the doorway.

"Master Dick. Miss Kory," he said, his voice strained with exhaustion, and the other two stirred at the announcement.

They nodded back to him, and he walked across the room to greet them as Babs and Bruce merely sat more upright.

"Where is your luggage? I could bring it down to your room for you," Alfred offered, his smile not reaching his sunken, red eyes.

"That's alright, Alfred," Dick said softly. "We can get it later."

"I insist," he replied, giving her and Dick a small, pointed glance. "Miss Kory, perhaps you will assist me?"

"Oh. Of course," she said, suddenly understanding. She gave Dick a small smile before turning to leave with Alfred, and Dick attempted to smile back through his obvious trepidation.

They walked down the hall together, Alfred's shoes clicking even more noticeably than her own, and gathered the bags from the floor.

"I apologize for the ruse, Miss Kory," Alfred said as they drew nearer the bedrooms. "Master Wayne wished to speak with Master Dick when he arrived. There are…arrangements to be made."

"I understand," she said, although she was truthfully feeling rather excluded.

"The funeral will be tonight," Alfred continued, his voice stumbling over the words.

She looked up to find him staring resolutely ahead.

"Not the official one, of course," he added. "That will be some time from now, but he will be placed in the family mausoleum tonight," he concluded, his voice soft and breathy as his eyes glistened.

She stopped, placing a hand on his arm to halt him in the hall.

Alfred turned toward her, confusion blending with the pain on his face.

"I am deeply sorry for your loss," she said softly, staring into the man's watery, blue eyes.

Alfred stretched his opposite arm across his body to place a hand over hers.

"Thank you, Miss Kory," he murmured, flashing her a small smile, and she let her hand fall away. "It is good to have you here," he continued as they progressed down the hall. "I believe you will be a great help to Master Dick during this time. Although I doubt he will say as much," he added with a playful glance in her direction, and she smiled up at him, grateful for a light moment within the grief.

"He did not wish for me to accompany him," she replied, pausing as Alfred opened the door to Dick's room in front of her, "but I was persistent."

"I have no doubt of that," Alfred answered with a smile, and she blushed slightly as she followed him into the room.

He placed Dick's bags on the bed, and then took Starfire's from her and settled them next to Dick's luggage.

She looked up at him curiously, her forehead creasing in confusion.

"I don't believe anyone is under any illusions as to where you'll be sleeping, Miss Kory," Alfred answered, and she tried to fight the heat rising up her neck. "Besides, it would be best if Master Dick was not left alone. He's always had some trouble with nightmares," he added, fading off thoughtfully as he stared at the floor.

Starfire nodded, but a small knot of dread was forming in her chest. What if she could not help Dick as everyone seemed to be counting on her to do?

"At any rate," Alfred interjected, clearing his throat, "I shall leave you to get settled in."

With a smile and a quick nod, he left the room, closing the door with a small click behind her.

She settled onto the bed with a sigh, tucking her feet up beneath her as she leaned against her purple luggage.

Afternoon passed into early evening as she waited, occasionally getting up to pace around the bed, but otherwise simply sitting, staring earnestly at the door.

Finally, it opened, and she leapt up as Dick entered the room, looking even more exhausted than when she had left him a few hours ago.

He did not look at her at first, merely closing the door behind him and hovering just inside the room, and she stopped short from embracing him.

She remained silent, watching anxiously as he stared at some indiscernible something on the floor to his right.

"Dinner's in a few minutes," he said finally, still immobile, his eyes averted. "We're leaving after. As soon as it's dark."

She nodded, but she was uncertain if he could see it, so she spoke as well. "Alright," she said simply.

He moved, passing her and unzipping his suitcase. He glanced to where her luggage rested beside his, his eyebrows furrowing as he turned toward her.

"Alfred assumed I would be staying in here with you," she explained, her stomach tightening as he continued to stare intently down at the suitcases. "If you would rather I remain in a separate room, however, I could certainly-"

"No," he interjected, shaking his head, "it's fine." He gave her a small smile, and her heart leapt at even this small sign of normalcy within him.

With no further discussion, he began to unpack, and she followed with her own clothing.

"Will I have time to ready myself after dinner, or should I prepare now?" she asked, pulling her small bag of bathroom items from the suitcase.

"What?" he muttered, appearing thoroughly perplexed as he turned toward her from where he was placing t-shirts into a drawer.

"For the, um…service," she said, frantically scanning her limited vocabulary for a more sensitive word.

"Oh," he mumbled, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. "Kory, you- uh," he stammered, tentatively approaching her without meeting her eyes. "You- You can't really…come." His voice faded away as he finished, looking up at her through the tops of his sheepish eyes.

"Oh," she breathed, taking a small step backward, a humiliated tightness stretching up her chest into her throat.

"I mean- It's just-"

"It is fine," she said, her tone climbing in spite of herself as she busily refolded shirts.

"Kory," he sighed, pressing a hand against her frantic ones, and she stilled, breathing deeply before looking up at him. "It's just that…it's gonna be sort of a- a family thing. Ya know?"

"Babs is not family," she snapped, blushing as she realized how horrible that sounded.

Dick's blue eyes flashed steely for a moment as he withdrew his hand. "She's part of the Batfamily," he answered stonily, and she dropped her eyes back to her shirts, embarrassed and ashamed.

"Wally isn't even coming, and he's been practically staying here for weeks," he continued, a little kinder now.

She nodded, but she could feel a realization blooming in her chest, the thorns of it scraping against her heart.

She was not truly included in this part of Dick's life. She was not a fixture, only a visitor; a guest in this realm of his world.

She was not entirely welcome. She was not Batfamily.

"We should get ready for dinner," he murmured, and she did not look up until she heard the bathroom door close.

She sank down onto the bed, fighting to get control over the tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

Perhaps she should not be here at all. Perhaps it was all some terrible mistake.

Dick had told her not to come. Maybe he simply had not been brave enough to tell her why: that it was not too dangerous, simply unwanted.

With a choked sigh, she buried her head in her hands, pressing her palms against her hot, wet eyes.

As the sink started in the bathroom, she sat upright and dabbed at her eyes, breathing deeply as she attempted to numb the rising pain and worry.

She passed Dick as he exited the bathroom, setting her things on the counter before checking herself in the mirror to make sure no signs of her momentary weakness remained. Testing if she still could, she smiled, cold, green orbs staring back at her, and then quickly washed her hands and followed Dick into the hall.

…

She lay on her side watching the door, the room dark apart from the faint glow of the alarm clock.

Dick had left hours ago, after a tense and quiet dinner that not even Wally had dared to attempt to brighten.

They had barely spoken before he had left, his face impassive, his tone cold.

He was wearing his Robin uniform again, and had stared at himself in the mirror for so long, she had nearly interrupted him. He had eventually returned to his senses, briskly sweeping out of the room with a muttered "Don't wait up."

Nevertheless, she waited, wanting to be there for him if he should need her.

As much as he did not appear to even want her there, she suspected that was merely the distance of grief, and she wished to help when he, inevitably, could no longer hold the pain back.

Hopefully, he would allow her.

She watched the numbers climbing on the clock, counting the seconds and testing how accurate she was as the minutes changed, but exhaustion eventually overwhelmed her.

She awoke to new pressure on the bed, and opened her eyes to the darkness. Blinking a few times to adjust to the dim light, she saw Dick on the bed beside her, silhouetted against the faint, green glow.

He was lying flat on his back, his arms folded behind his head, staring listlessly up at the ceiling.

She propped herself up on one elbow, watching him sadly.

"Do you wish to talk about it?" she asked after a while.

"No," he answered softly, never turning from the ceiling, and her heart sank.

"Do you wish to be alone?"

"No," he said again, even softer.

She shifted closer to him, lying on her side and gently resting her head on his shoulder. Lifting a hand, she settled it onto his chest, and he immediately covered it with one of his own.

Slowly, she drifted off to sleep as his thumb traced rhythmic patterns across her fingers.


End file.
